Hanging Haunted
by BraceYourselvesForImpact
Summary: NaruXMai:: Summer is finally here! SPR travels from their cozy office in Tokyo all the way to the large city of Nagoya, but…not on vacation? As Naru and CO. investigate this new case, will they help the situation…or just make things worse?
1. Chapter 1

**_Hanging Haunted: Chapter 1_**

**_-_**

June 25  
Day 1

An array of multiple colors invaded Mai's vision as the entrance of the art studio greeted her. She gazed on in amazement, not realizing the traffic back-up she had created.

"Look, Mai, I know this is wonderful, but can we get a move on it? These boxes full of equipment aren't too comfortable to hold." Her partner's voice echoed throughout the large room.

Mai rolled her eyes at the monk and finally shifted out of park, maneuvering around canvases and glasses filled to the brink with murky water. She found herself stopped in front of the corridor that lead to their base and couldn't help but gasp.

"S–So many rooms!"

Takigawa sighed, nudging the girl in front with the corner of his box. "Move it, Alice in Wonderland."

"This place is bigger than I thought," Mai gaped at the various doors lining the hallway. There were three rooms on each side, plus one larger room at the very end. Behind them, the entrance to the corridor led to the main room where, Mai assumed, the students usually assembled. "I thought art studios were smaller than this?"

The monk shifted his weight from one leg to the other as his foot began to numb. He felt a cramp in his neck starting to form and chuckled, finally squeezing past her.

"I didn't realize there was a specific size that art studios had to be."

"Well, there's not, but…" With a frustrated sigh, Mai straightened her back and followed after the monk until they reached the base, the third door to the left.

It was slightly ajar. The brown-haired man tapped it with his foot so that he could walk through, leaving Mai to follow suit.

Everything was freshly cleaned, although the stale smell of dust still lingered in the air. Other than a lone table pushed to the far corner and a couch randomly placed in the middle, the room was practically barren. Their host sure had gone through a lot of trouble to clean it, Mi thought.

Once they set their boxes down, Mai yawned, stretching her arms into the air. "I can't believe Naru, giving us all the hard work to do. What a slave-driver!"

"Ah," was the monk's only response. He was pretty occupied being a space cadet, an empty expression glued to his face. The man slumped onto the black sofa and sighed.

A frown soon made its way to Mai's lips. Bou-san was perfectly normal this morning. It was only when he found out–

Oh…

Mai's eyes suddenly brightened as she figured the reason as to his gloomy demeanor. "Aw, Bou-san! Are you upset because Ayako wasn't able to make it? How cute!"

He was never one for being slow to react, but this time he lacked the awareness he always seemed to posses. "W–What are you saying?!" A tint of pink crossed his face, but he quickly concealed it. "Geez, sometimes I wonder what you're thinking in that tiny brain of yours…"

"T–Tiny? I'll have know that I am a straight B student (with the exception of a C in math, but that's not the point)! Just face it, you miss her don't you? Don't you?!" Mai squealed like an elementary school student playing hide-and-seek as she just barely caught the flying EMF meter.

"So what?!" The monk bushed, his gaze beginning to wander again as his mind filled with thoughts of a certain red-headed miko.

Mai sighed at the lost cause. "Hopeless," she murmured, leaving the room to return to the van.

"Wah!"

A yell sounded throughout the large room filled with various paintings as Mai and some other, smaller object came in contact.

This object was no object, though…This object was a little boy; quite an adorable little boy, for that matter. Brown, tussled hair framed his petite, scowling face and he rubbed his elbow.

Didn't Fujisaki-san say that he was going to 'off-limits' the studio until the investigation was over? In that case, why was a little kid running around?

Mai was broken out of her gaze by the kid's pained look. Her face flushed in embarrassment.

Up and off of the ground in less than a second, Mai wiped off the dust on her navy capris and extended a hand to the boy.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going and…!"

"Whatever," came his hasty retort. Mai snorted in surprise.

Attitude problems, much?

She bit her tongue in fear that she might let out a frustrated yell. She was getting better at controlling her emotions, but…well, what would expect after spending a year and a half with Naru?

By the time Mai had snapped out of her thoughts, the boy was already up and halfway across the room.

"H–Hey, wait! What's your name? What are you doing in here?" Mai quickly jogged after him to catch up with his fast pace and planted her hand on his shoulder to show him that she was not someone he could just push around.

He contemplated the hand before looking her in the eye and answering. "Tetsuya. Tetsuya Fujisaki."

Mai couldn't help but shiver at the glare he was sending her. Her hand quickly retreated from his sleeve. "Fujisaki? Meaning you're the son of our client?"

"What of it? And what I'm doing here is none of your freaking business!" he snapped angrily, turning his head around to hide his irritation. Mai flinched away from him as if he might just bite her.

Sighing, she watched as the moody pre-teen stalked passed her and towards the way she had just came. It was partly true…What he was doing there was none of her business, but seriously…why the attitude? It's not like she had done anything that bad to invoke such behavior. She had only been there for, what? Ten minutes? And would it _kill _him to smile?

Well, then again, sometimes it's better not to ask…

-

A wave of nausea swept over Mai just as she attempted to lift the last box of equipment. She sighed and collapsed against the side of the black van. She had never been so hot in her life; it felt like she was in an oven! Freaking global warming…

A hand was offered to her, Mai noticed–a hand she didn't recognize. It was comforting and big, definitely belonging to a man. Her gaze traveled up his arm until she had to shield her eyes from the sun. "Fujisaki-san!"

Fujisaki was a nice man around his mid-30's (although his graying hair didn't exactly reflect his true age) and their current client. He had come to the office just a few days ago asking for assistance. A kind smile was plastered to his face; the exact opposite of his son. Speaking of which, they didn't look at all alike. "Mai-san, I see you're working hard," he said, his tone laced with playfulness.

Nervously, the brown-haired assistant took hold of the man's hand, allowing him to hoist her up. "I'm not slacking off, I promise!"

Giving a hearty laugh, he slapped her shoulder jokingly. "Well, the most motivation I can give you is: the faster you get your work done, the faster you can get over with it."

"Ah, yes sir." Mai's lips quivered upwards into an almost pleading smile, her expression imploring him to say something–anything! She was so lonely…where were Naru, Lin, and Masako anyway?

As if he read her mind, the man smiled and sighed. "I see you're suffering from the summer heat, eh? Such an unfavorable time of year, isn't it? I'm delighted SPR took the time to travel all the way to Nagoya to investigate. Summer is our busiest time of year, but with all of these strange things going on, I simply had to close the camp."

Mai sent him a questioning glance.

"Well, your boss does seem like the type that would keep to himself, but I assumed he would tell you?"

"That guy never tells me anything…"

"Well, there's been lots of activity; everything from banging and voices to apparitions and orbs."

"Ah…Where is Naru anyway?"

"Shibuya-san said he would like to look at the attic. He took the medium and his tall assistant with him. The blond foreigner left them and is in the base with your other friend, most likely."

"Oh," she murmured to herself, "About the activity here…can you tell me something more specific?"

"See, I've had several students now that have had trips to the hospital. One of which, was my son."

Mai almost choked on her own spit as the news reached her ears. She did a double-take. "Y–Your son? But I saw him just a minute ago and he looked fine or...at least I thought he did."

"Ah, Tetsuya? He's fine now; fully recovered although he might have some scars..."

Mai leaned next to Fujisaki against the hot metal of the van and cupped her ear, her eyes showing she was willing to listen. "Would you mind telling me what happened? Why was Tetsuya-kun hospitalized?"

A droplet of sweat rolled down the man's forehead and into his eyes. He squinted at the sun. "A series of vases fell from a shelf that he was under…"

"I'm sorry," Mai whispered. "But are you sure he's alright? He seemed kind of upset when I saw him…"

"Ah, so you've met him? He's frustrating, isn't he?" The man chucked, scratching his cheek.

'How did you know?' her thoughts rang sarcastically. She smiled at his words.

Fujisaki sighed and turned to face Mai directly. "Well, Tetsuya's been like that ever since then. That's why I called you; to settle his unrest."

A smile pulled at her lips.

"You don't have to worry anymore. SPR will definitely figure out what's going on."

-

John smiled nervously, bringing the cup of jasmine tea to his lips. "What do you mean 'what do you think?'"

"About the case! Like–what's causing all of this stuff to happen, why it's happening, how we should go about getting rid of it, etc."

Bou-san sighed and slumped onto the couch (which was now pushed to the corner where the coffee table was previously) next to the priest. He yawned.

"Don't ask questions that nobody can answer, Mai. There are just so many things it _could_ be. For all we know, those falling vases could've been an accident. Noises can be explained by creaking floorboards or doors, or passing cars, stuff like that; this building is old after all, plus it's surrounded by highways and other, taller buildings. As a matter of fact, many people mistake orbs for the light of passing cars reflecting on the walls. Anything is possible."

"Well, what if someone claimed to see an apparition? Would you be able to explain that, Mr. Know-it-all?" Mai snorted smugly, glaring at the monk from her indian-style position on the floor.

"Now, now, you two…" John laughed, playfully shaking his head.

"Hey," the brown-haired assistant defended, raising her hands innocently, "He started it." She pointed to the monk accusingly.

"It's rude to point, Mai," he shot back.

Before another word could be said, the door opened revealing Naru, Masako, and Lin. They were finally done with their walk through. Mai unconsciously wondered if they had encountered Tetsuya on their way to and from, but quickly brushed him off of her mind.

"Oh, did you hear that, Mai?" Bou-san questioned her as the three entered.

The high school girl's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Huh? Hear what?"

"Squeaking! The floor is squeaking–"

Mai frowned. "Shut up, will you?"

"Just jealous because I proved you wrong?"

"That totally does not prove you right."

Naru glared at the two as if to shut them up. Lin sighed, sitting next to him and Masako wiggled her way onto the couch beside the priest who was currently attempting to control his co-workers.

Incidentally, Bou-san bumped arms with said Australian, resulting in one jasmine-drenched medium and a red-cheeked priest.

"Oh! Hara-san," he stuttered to the mortified medium. By then, both Naru and Lin's attention had been caught once more as they looked onto the chaotic scene. Mai sat, her mouth agape, and Takigawa shivered just thinking of the hell he was going to get later. Masako knew important people.

Naru managed to maintain his stark disposition and turned around swiftly in his chair. He laughed to himself as he scribbled messy notes in his folder. Back to work.

Lin frowned, following suit. As they say: no use bothering over spilt milk.

Mai clenched her teeth to contain the laughter that was bubbling up. "Look what you did to poor Masako, you useless monk! Her kimono is all wet now!" Bou-san glared, noting the grin that began to arise on her face.

John flailed helplessly, his face still as red as an apple. "H–Hara-san, I'm so sorry! I'll get you some napkins or something–"

"Hey, Mai, this was all your fault! You were the one who provoked me!"

"So now it's my fault? You're trying to blame me for something _you_ did? It's your fault for being provoked in the first place!"

"You _guys_!"

"He started it!"

"She started it!"

-

Since you asked so nicely, I decided to quickly type up this crap-filled chapter. Eh, at least it kept you entertained for a while (if you actually got this far). It might take me a while to get the other chapters up, but at least you know I'm coming along with it. Wait for me!

And a special thanks to all of those who have reviewed in my previous fanfiction and will review in this.

Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 2**_

_**-**_

June 25  
Day 1 (afternoon)

Mai jumped, startled by the hand on her shoulder. Drowsily, she looked up to gaze at Naru's serene expression. She quickly brought her hands up to her face to cover the stinging imprints left by her ruffled clothes.

That's right; she had fallen asleep with her head on the coffee table…

Her boss backed away as she stretched. "Naptime is over, Mai. I know it's been a long trip, but now it's time to work."

"Mm." she grunted groggily.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Bou-san called from the doorway, attracting both of their attention.

Mai laughed to herself. "What is with you and your princess fetish? First I'm Alice in Wonderland. Now I'm Sleeping Beauty?" she inquired in a tone that signified her fatigue as she stood up from the ground.

"First of all, Alice was not a princess–"

Naru coughed.

"Oh, right!" The monk turned to face the dark-haired narcissist, a thermometer and clipboard clutched in his hands. "I'm done taking the temperature in the bathroom, the kitchen, Tetsuya's room, the main room, and the attic. Were those the only rooms you wanted?"

"Yes, Takigawa," he replied.

Mai gasped, confiscating the clipboard from the monk's hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You started without me?"

"Mai, nothing else has happened. Masako's probably in your room. John is in the art room with Fujisaki-san, and Lin…" Naru trailed off pointing towards the man across the room, typing way on his laptop.

Mai's shoulders drooped. "And…and you didn't wake me up?"

"What can I say, Mai? You were sleeping like a baby," Naru shrugged.

"More like a rock," the monk muttered to himself.

"Ah," she whispered to herself, "I'll remember that next time, old man. Anyway, I'm guessing the boys are sharing a room and Masako and I are together? How unfortunate for you."

Bou-san rolled his eyes. "Guys don't find it as uncomfortable to be cramped as girls do."

Naru turned away from them and shuffled over towards the shelves where the monitors were set up. "We'll be having a meeting with Fujisaki in while, so get ready."

Noting the tone in her boss's voice, Mai knew he was tired and didn't need another argument. She nodded, stretching.

Naru sighed. "Mai, I'm sure you've already met with Tetsuya."

Her reply was a slow nod.

"Good; I want you to get to know him."

"Roger."

-

"Ah, now that we're all here…" Fujisaki started, saving a smile for Mai as she approached. She sheepishly grinned back, stepping behind the priest in embarrassment.

And so, the meeting commenced.

"Before we investigate, would you tell us the history of this property?" Naru inquired.

"Well, I don't know much," the host said, "but I'm positive that right below this room they used to have a bomb shelter. That was during WWII, I think. Soon after, a foreign couple moved here and built this house on top. Rumors say that they fled the country a year later, though no one could say for sure.

"And, well, the house had been on sale for a long while. It was quite cheep, so I decided to buy it. I was young then; around my 20s. I made renovations and changed it a bit to what it is now. The camp is usually open during the summer; Tetsuya helps out with a lot of things as well. I adopted him when he was four."

Tetsuya flinched at his father's words. Glaring at the ground, he gripped the older man's leg, burying his face into it.

Mai nodded. 'Hm, adoption…No wonder they look nothing alike. Maybe the reason Tetsuya's always so foul is because he doesn't like Fujisaki-san? Oh, but look at the way he's gripping Fujisaki-san's pants like a little kid! So adorable!'

She brought her hands up to cover her blush. Bou-san rolled his eyes as if he were reading the girl's mind.

"Don't start acting like an old lady!" the monk teased, ruffling her hair. He managed to move quickly, narrowly dodging her elbow.

"Watch what you say, monk."

Clenching her fist, she brought it up to Bou-san's chin threateningly.

Naru's nice façade began to fade in the slightest as he glanced over towards them. "This is no time to be playing around. We have lots of work to do. Especially you, Mai," he smiled in such a way that made Mai shiver.

She said, in a tiny voice, "Why me?" She pointed to herself.

"Well, you were so excited to work earlier, so I'm giving you what you wanted."

Masako covered her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono to hide a smile as John shuffled away from the girl, fearing that she might start a rampage.

Lin, on the other hand, looked away from the scene with disinterest. He didn't see why Naru liked to provoke the poor girl so much. Why was he adding fuel to the fire when he knew it would just turn around and bite him in the ass? Was Mai's flustered face_ that_ cute to him?

He'd never understand his boss.

Mai blushed, glaring holes into his back as he turned away from her.

"Fujisaki-san, I would like to ask your permission for my assistant, Mai, to question your son. Is that alright?" Naru flashed a counterfeit smile towards Tetsuya, who peeked out from behind his father's leg.

"Of course. Tetsuya…?"

Naru kneeled down so that he reached Tetsuya's height. "The sooner we get some answers, the sooner we'll get rid of whatever's here, okay?" he whispered gently, laying his hand on the boy's shoulder.

The 10-year old seemed to think about it. He then scoffed, looking past Naru. His eyes landed on the brown-haired teen with detestation. "I don't _like_ her," he replied, folding his skinny arms across his chest. An air of pride surrounded him.

Mai gapped.

"Why, you little–!" John and Bou-san restrained her.

Fujisaki bowed sheepishly. "Excuse his behavior, Mai-san, he doesn't mean it–"

"Yeah, I do!" he defended.

Imagine Naru as a rebellious teen–that's Tetsuya.

Just thinking about it made her cringe.

Naru frowned at the boy and then looked back on his assistant with annoyance. "Tetsuya, this is very important. Mai's good at things like this."

The girl blushed. 'D–Did Naru just compliment me?! But…he's glaring at me at the same time,' she thought in confusion, sweat-dropping.

She could feel eyes on her back.

Masako…

Mai turned and smirked. 'That's payback for all of the dates you've had with him.'

"Ah. There's something else I should tell you…" Fujisaki directed his eyes downwards. He slowly lifted his hand, laying it atop Tetsuya's head. "About…about a week ago, when the activity really started picking up…one of Tetsuya's friends was over. Her name was Sayuri–Sayuri Matsumura."

His son looked up in shock.

Interested, the head of SPR stood, crossing his arms and cocking his head in an inquiring manner. The man before him lowered his head even more, and Naru's concert gaze was not helping one bit.

"She suddenly disappeared…vanished. We looked everywhere for her and couldn't find a trace."

Tetsuya ripped his hands from his father's pants and power-walked to the corridor. "This is stupid. I'm going to my room!" his traveled down the hallway until it dissipated, a slam following soon after.

Mai's brows furrowed in worry. Would he be alright? After all, it might be one of those ghosts with preferences. If that girl was around the same age as Tetsuya, than it might go after him next–

"Mai, John!" her boss's voice was raised in the slightest. "Follow him and stay by his side."

Mai didn't hesitate to dash off behind him. John turned and nodded, barely keep up with her. "We're on it."

And with that, Naru faced Fujisaki. "Was that the first time it's ever happened?"

"Yes."

-

"Tetsuya's okay. There's a camera in his room, so if anything happens we'll know right away. There's nothing to worry about," John smiled.

Mai nodded along with him. "He looks fine. He wouldn't talk to us, though–didn't say a word. He just sat at his desk and did his homework the whole time. The boy wouldn't even look up!"

Bou-san cringed. "What an isolated kid."

The smell of tea made its way towards them. Mai turned, hearing the door shut and footsteps follow.

"The tea's ready," Masako said in a murmur, pausing when she saw the two who had just arrived. "I made some for you two as well. I was going to bring it to you…"

"Thank you, Hara-san," John's face lit up with a smile as he picked up one of the many cups on the tray. "That was very considerate."

The doll-like girl then held out the tray to Mai, who also smiled. "Thanks, Masako."

She nodded to them and set one down for Naru next to his files. He didn't look up, but mumbled a miniscule 'thanks' as he guzzled half of it down. Lin typed like no tomorrow, never hesitating in his stride.

Watching from across the room, Mai's lips formed a pout. She could see Masako smile politely before walking over and dropping off the monk's cup on the coffee table in front of the couch.

John smiled courteously at her as he walked to sit on the sofa next to Bou-san. She beamed back, announcing that she was going to put the tray back in the kitchen.

Mai's eyes followed her until she was out of the room.

'That Masako.'

"Mai," John's melodic voice brought her out of her murderous thoughts, "Would you like to sit?" he inquired.

Mai grinned and waved his question away like it was nothing. "I'm fine, don't worry about me," she laughed. "Thank you, though."

The priest smiled.

Bou-san's eyes widened and he sat up straight causing weird looks from his co-workers. "M–Mai? A–And John? Don't tell me you two are–?"

"What?" Mai asked, her facial expression twisted in confusion.

"But John, you're a priest!"

"_B–Bou-san!_" they flushed, yelling at the monk in unison.

Naru turned around with one of those 'if looks could kill…' glares. He didn't seem like he was in such a good mood anymore…

-

Only the light from the moon made it possible to see through the darkness of the room. The only thing Mai could hear was the chirp of the crickets and the slight passing of cars. She shifted uneasily on her futon, and finally sat up, leaning back on her elbows. She turned to face Masako.

"You awake…?"

The black-haired medium pulled her feathered comforter higher. "No."

Mai sighed and fell back. "Do you think there's anything here? That we need to worry about, I mean. Is Tetsuya in danger?"

Sighing, Masako turned on her side the same as Mai and cuddled her pillow.

"Be careful, Mai. I'm not sure of its exact intentions towards Tetsuya, but they're not good."

Silence flooded the room causing Mai to shiver.

"Whatever it is, it's intelligent. But it doesn't seem to realize that we're here yet. Don't worry about it, Mai. You know Naru will do anything to solve this case; he always does. He won't let anything hurt Tetsuya while we're here," Masako said, the smallest smile forming on her lips.

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, nodding.

"Thanks Masako."

-

'Even with that said,' Mai thought in frustration, 'I still can't get to sleep!'

Mai's eyes wandered over to Masako for the fifty-millionth time. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully. The girl sighed sitting up. She wondered what time it was.

After kicking off her blanket (with much difficulty), she crawled across the floor and over towards her blue duffle bag. She unzipped it and fished for her phone.

Her back was suddenly engulfed in the pale glow of the hallway. Startled, Mai whipped around to find a small figure in the doorframe.

Holding her hand to her rapidly beating heart, she let out a sigh of relief. "Tetsuya, you scared the crap out of me!" she laughed. She stood and walked towards the door, opening her phone to look at the time. Her eyes widened. "It's almost 2 o'clock! What on earth are you doing in here?"

Tetsuya looked down in embarrassment, his cheeks slowly growing red. He mumbled something under his breath, but Mai couldn't seem to make it out.

"What did you say?"

"I…I had a nightmare."

"Oh!" she kneeled down and grabbed his arms in a motherly way, her eye softening considerably. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Looking into Mai's eyes, Tetsuya shook his head furiously. He gripped onto her teal nightshirt and pulled Mai into hug. Surprised by his actions, she was hesitant to react. Slowly, but surely, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck soothingly. She ran her hand through his hair and smoothed down his bed-head, giggling.

Mai pulled him away at arm's length and smiled sincerely. "Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight? It's not much, but it's really comfy."

The small child nodded. He grasped her hand and looked away, blushing, as the brown-haired girl led him to the fluffy futon.

He dropped to his knees and fell head-first onto the pillow, watching as Mai tossed her phone back into the bag across the room and came to lie next to him. "Scoot over," she fussed playfully earning a defiant glare. She covered her mouth attempting to contain a yawn and stretched, her tiredness finally starting to kick in.

She crawled under the comforter beside him and smiled.

Tetsuya shivered which did not go unnoticed by our favorite ditzy assistant.

"Are you cold?" Mai inquired gently.

The boy shook his head no, only to shiver again. Laughing, she pulled him closer. The blood rose to his cheeks and he could feel them getting hot.

Pushing her away like she was on fire, Tetsuya exclaimed, "I'm not cold, stupid! How many times do I have to tell you?" He kicked her thigh.

"But you're shivering! It's the middle of summer and yet your house is freezing. Why not take advantage of the extra body heat and hug me?" Mai offered, opening her arms wide, a lazy smile stretched across her face.

"I told you I'm not cold!"

And with that, Tetsuya turned away, pulling the comforter over his shoulder. He hid his red cheeks and closed his eyes tightly.

Mai scowled at the back of his head, mentally cursing the boy for his stubbornness. The two of them stayed like that for what seemed like forever. That was, until the stillness was too much for Mai to bear.

With a cold hand, she reached out to touch his shoulder. "Tetsuya?"

He twitched to signal that he was still awake, but the quiet he returned was an indication that he was not willing to move. "I have a question…if that's alright."

His head bobbed slowly up and down.

"Why didn't you go to your dad's room instead? Why did you come in here? I thought that…from what you said earlier you didn't like me. So why are you…?"

The boy sighed and shifted. "My dad…"

Mai smirked and poked his back playfully. "So _that's _why. You didn't want your dad to get worried, huh?"

"N–No! That's not it!" Tetsuya stressed in a hushed tone, making sure Masako didn't wake up. He was more than happy that Mai couldn't see his frantic face at the moment. "Also because…Naru said that you were good at things like that…"

"Naru did…" Mai whispered. Her eyes widened. Embarrassed, she buried her flustered face into her pillow. She laughed nervously. "Hehehe, I'm sorry for asking such a stupid questio–"

A rustling sound was heard. "You like him."

"Hm?" Mai lifted her head in bewilderment. Tetsuya was now turned to face her, a very arrogant look across his features.

He leered at her. "I'll help you win him over that other girl–Masako."

-

Was it good? I guess not…but I hoped you'd enjoy reading that lovely scene of Mai and Tetsu-chan as much as I did writing it.

Haha. Don't worry; I will definitely be boring you with a lot more NaruXMai in the future. In the meantime: Tetsuya sure is the little plot-twister now, isn't he? Will he actually try to bring Naru and our lazy heroine together?

Find out on the next chapter of: _Hanging Haunted _(or maybe you won't)!


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 3**_

_**-**_

A loud clang sounded as the blood-soaked kitchen knife fell to the ground.

The murderer kneeled down, lathering his trembling hands in the crimson liquid that gushed from the woman's brutally maimed and dismembered body.

"It's been fun…

"Emi."

-

June 26  
Day 2

Mai awoke with a gasp, her chest rising up and down with rapid movement. She covered her mouth as she glanced intently around the room, wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead.

Where had her dream-Naru been? What a horrible way to start the case off…

The rustle of cloth sounded from her right. In surprise, she looked over to find Tetsuya. She sighed and smiled gently, slumping back down. Everything looked normal; the way it did before she went to sleep. Masako seemed to be peacefully dozing off…even Tetsuya was still by her side, cutely clinging onto the strap of her shirt.

'Thank god it was just a dream.'

Mai ran her fingers through the boy's hair, bringing him closer.

'Naru…'

-

Naru restrained a yawn, reaching for the tea cup at his side.

Empty.

He placed it down on top of one of his files mournfully. Well, it's not like he was going to wake Mai up just so he could have tea…

Naru sighed. "Where's Mai?" he inquired in a very pissy tone.

From across the room, John sat reading a book. He always did so in the morning before they started investigating. It was a habit of his; he really liked reading.

John looked up and glanced over towards his boss, a sweat-drop forming. "She, Hara-san, and Bou-san are all probably still sleeping…"

Naru sighed.

Speaking of Masako, she had mentioned to him that this spirit's intentions were unclear, but they weren't exactly good luck either. Naru wondered…did it care about what type of person it picks on? It could be one of those particular ghosts that chose its victims within a certain age-group or preferred one gender over another (if only he knew how much he and Mai were alike…).

'Is it interested in Tetsuya?' With another frustrated sigh, Naru ran a hand through his messy hair. "Would any takers like to wake her up?"

Lin, who was had been seated besides the irritated narcissist, kept his head down, his expression clearly saying, 'no way in hell'.

John laughed nervously. "I wouldn't mind getting her."

"Good. Tell her I don't want to see her until she gets my tea," Naru concluded, waving the priest away like pestering fly. He shifted in his chair in an attempt to get comfortable.

Lin stiffened and turned towards the younger teen besides him. "Naru, I have something you might want to see. It's an old newspaper article from when the foreign couple still owned the house." He motioned towards the dim screen on his laptop, scrolling down so hiss boss could see.

Naru raised an eyebrow and stood slowly, his chair incidentally sliding backwards with a loud screech. "What is it?"

"'The Lovell residents find their daughter's mutilated body wrapped in a black garbage bag more than two weeks after she was reported missing. What's more is that examiners say it looks like the body had been submerged in water for the whole period she was missing, similar to the way the once-famous serial killer Tansho Takamori used to take his victims' life.'"

Lin looked up with a questioning expression.

"It seems that this is becoming more complicated than I would have liked to hope…"

-

John sighed as he reached to knock on the girl's door. Why was he the one who always had to do these types of tasks? He heard a muffled gasp as his knuckles came in contact with the wood.

"Taniyama-san? Hara-san? Are you decent? It's John, may I come in?" he inquired, suddenly worried.

The sound of rustling sheets and a few thuds were heard just before the door creaked open. Mai's head popped out to see if he was actually who he claimed to be.

"Oh, John, you scared me," she chuckled at her own foolishness, pushing the door open all the way and inviting him in.

'Well, I did say I was me,' he thought with a soft laugh. He shook his head seeing her invitation in. "No, no…Naru sent me to wake you up, that's all. He says he won't see you unless you have his te–"

The priest paused as his eyes wandered past the young assistant still clad in her slightly revealing pajamas over towards her wrinkled traditional shiki futon.

Why was Tetsuya, of all people, sleeping in Mai's bed?

"T–Tetsuya?"

Mai turned towards the small child sprawled out on her comforter. "Oh!" she faced John once more, a smile plastered onto her lips, "He came here at about two or so last night complaining that he had a bad dream. I asked him if he wanted to sleep with me until the morning…"

"Ah, if that's how it is. You're quite the one when it comes to little kids," John laughed, placing his hand on his chest in relief. "By the way, Mai-san, are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"Your cheeks are red like you've been crying." Mai blushed at the priest's words. "You were, weren't you? I don't mean to sound so bold, but…did you have a dream?"

Chuckling to no one in particular, Mai crossed her arms as she leaned against the wooden door frame. John's brows furrowed in worry once more.

The girl's downcast gaze soon shifted to the inside of the room, concentrated solely on the small boy sleeping soundly on her bed.

"Mai-san…?"

"No, John. You should know by now; I never have normal dreams…

"Only nightmares."

-

Naru stifled a yawn into his now teacup (boy, was he happy when he saw that Mai was awake). He took a short sip and placed it on top of what he was previously reading, folding his hands across his stomach. His intent gaze was now focused on Mai.

"So tell me what you dreamt of; don't hold back," he commanded.

"There was a man and…all I know is that this man killed this girl. She was young…maybe a few years younger than me. Um, she had brown eyes and brown medium-length hair. I can't remember much beyond that," Mai sighed, rubbing her puffy, red eyes.

Naru crossed his legs in an attempt to get comfortable, a scowl present on his face. "Can you tell me how she was murdered?"

"Well, I couldn't tell if she was or not, but I think she might have been raped first…" Mai gulped, "And then the guy dismembered her and cut off her head. After that…I woke up."

A grunt of disdain could be heard from Bou-san over on the couch; John stared into his tea cup, sighing at his wavering reflection as a disgruntled Masako leaned against the wall to the left of the window. All the while, Lin stayed perfectly silent, watching as Mai's usually cheerful demeanor dissipated and was replaced by that of discomfort.

"What can you tell me about this 'man'?" her boss inquired.

"I wasn't able to see his face, but he was definitely a man. You could tell by his voice."

Completely rapt by Mai's explanation, Naru leaned forwards, raising an eyebrow. "He spoke?"

"Oh, yeah! He said something like, 'it's been fun, Emi'," Mai said, adopting an interpretation of what the killer's voice sounded like, but from Mai's lips, it just caused a fit of giggles from the rest of the team.

Naru brought the tea cup to his lips once more, turning to his assistant #1. "Lin, look up a list of serial killers in Japan."

The onmyoji nodded, pulling himself closer to the table that his laptop was on. He typed something at the speed of light and then paused, scrolling down a seemingly short list.

"Hm…Tsutomu Miyazaki, Norio Nagayama, Seisaku Nakamura, Akira Nishiguchi, Kiyoshi Okubo…" he murmured to himself upon impulse. "Here it is: Tansho Takamori."

"Tansho Takamori?" Bou-san's eyes widened slightly as he sat up straight, "I remember my dad telling me stories about him. He was notorious for raping his victims, chopping them up like his dinner, stuffing them in garbage bags, and then disposing their bodies in different lakes throughout Japan."

The rest of the SPR team cringed at the thought, not wanting to imagine an old, decayed body being fished out from a lake.

"His dinner?" Mai whimpered helplessly.

"Well," the monk leaned back, yawning, "I guess it doesn't matter now since he's long gone, right?"

Naru steadied his unstable gaze unto his teacup.

Lin sighed. He had a feeling Naru would be affected in some way…

"Well?" Mai blurted shooting the Chinese man an expectant look. "Was he sentenced to life imprisonment? Executed?"

"It says that he was hanged in 1942, one year after his last murder…"

John's speculating look managed to reach Naru. "So…what I'm getting from all of this implies that this Tansho man is our main ghosts?"

"We can't be sure yet…" he replied.

Scratching her head in confusion, Mai's brow creased. "What do you mean when you say 'main ghost'? Do you mean there are more?"

"Yes, Mai." Masako stood, practically glaring holes into said girl. "Think of all the people this man has killed. Of course they'd hold some sort of grudge and feel attached to his spirit."

She rolled her eyes, returning the medium's threatening look. "Well, why would his spirit be attached to this place then? Wouldn't it be more likely for his spirit to be attached to the place where he was executed or something?"

"Maybe he murdered someone significant in this house?" John interrupted from the far end of the couch.

Mentally, Mai pouted, turning away from the scene in agitation. 'John's always the one who says the ingenious things…Why can't it be me for once?'

"There's a high possibility," Bou-san grinned, slapping the poor 19-year old on the back.

Mai flinched at the noise, throwing the teary-eyed priest an apologetic look. 'That must have hurt…'

Before another word was said, the door slammed open.

A panting Fujisaki entered the room, leaning against the door frame to catch his breath. He put a hand to his chest before looking up to face the SPR team.

"I–I can't find Tetsuya anywhere!"

Mai's eyes widened. "Oh, Tetsuya? Have you checked in my room?"

Silence erupted and everyone's attention was now focused on Mai.

The panting man blinked, straightening himself. "Why, no, I haven't."

"He's probably in there," Mai comforted, smiling.

"Ah, I see. Thank you for your assistance."

Fujisaki then bowed and left, closing the door behind him. Once his footsteps disseminated down the hallway followed by the opening of a door, Bou-san turned to Mai with eyes as big as saucers.

"Why was Tetsuya in your room?! Didn't he like, hate you? A day ago?"

"Yeah, or at least that's what I thought. He crawled into my bed last night complaining about a bad dream. I welcomed him with open arms…" the girl explained, rolling her eyes.

Masako nodded to herself. "I see. I was wondering why he was sleeping in your bed, Mai."

Mai smiled, laughing. "He's so cute! Last night he was all embarrassed, it was so adorable!"

"Mai, Mai, Mai–" Bou-san clicked his tongue in disappointment, "since when did you seduce kids? You siren!"

Mai crossed her arms and glared. "_I'm_ not seducing anybody."

The monk on the other side of the room shrugged, leaning his head back against the top of the black couch. "You're more of a seductress than you know, dear Mai." A smirk slithered onto his face causing the girl a scowl.

Was it just him, or was their favorite female protagonist starting to become more like a certain dark-haired narcissist they knew all too well?

Mai stood up and stretched, finally noticing Bou-san's stare. Blinking in confusion, she grinned wide and formed a peace sign.

The monk felt a sweat-drop coming on.

…_Nah_.

Frustrated for one reason or another, Naru swiveled around in his chair turning to face his assistant with a very impatient glare.

"Tea," he commanded, handing the brunette his teacup.

Mai looked upon the small cup in thought, shocked at his sudden attitude change. Huffing, she snatched it away from him, almost dropping it in the process.

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, "freaking work-a-holic."

-

Mai sighed helplessly. She just couldn't help but replay last night over again in her head…

-

"_You like him."_

"_Hm?" Mai lifted her head and noted the boy's leering expression._

"_I'll help you win him over that other girl–Masako."_

_Silence._

"_W–What?!" Mai whispered loudly, her brain almost at a loss for words. She took a deep inhale hiding her cherry face under the comforter._

_Tetsuya smirked, leaning on his elbow. "Don't act dumb. It's obvious that you like him. I think the only one who doesn't notice is Naru himself."_

"_You…You're smarter than you look…"_

_Mai searched Tetsuya's eyes in contemplation. She couldn't tell what he was up to, but she didn't seem to like how things were going as far as a relationship with her boss was concerned either._

_Naru had been acting strange for the past few days. He stared off into space more often, though his demand for tea was as great as ever. And Mai noticed over the years…that Naru only asks for tea so many times a day. The only times he'll exceed his limit is when he's stressed._

_It made her worry._

_She was probably the last thing on Naru's mind. She should really give him his space…and his tea._

_She shouldn't bother him._

"_I'll sleep on it, okay?" Mai lied. she already had the answer._

"_Mm."_

_At that time she realized Tetsuya had turned away, snuggling into the covers._

_Mai smiled pulling the comforter over her shoulder once more._

"'_Night."_

-

How could one kid be so much trouble?!

"I'm losing my touch," she mumbled, placing the kettle full of water onto the stove.

"You've already lost it."

Mai turned in surprise to find Tetsuya fully dressed back against the door frame as he looked at Mai with anticipation.

His hair; a mess.

"Aw!" Mai cooed cutely, walking over towards him. "You've got a bed head! So adorable~!"

Mai's slender arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer. This causing Tetsuya to hold back a choking noise as a breath caught in his throat.

"G–Get away from me!" he stuttered embarrassed. If anyone was looking he'd die of humiliation!

Soon, the sound of a whistle began to rise. Mai pulled the boy at arm's length and looked back. "The water's ready! Tetsuya, want me to show you how to make tea?"

With a defiant glare, Tetsuya slapped her hands away stepping out of her reach in case she decided to latch onto him again. "No!"

Mai frowned. "There's no need to be so fussy!"

"Whatever! Anyway, do I have your answer?" he inquired as he crossed his arms, managing to maintain his composure.

A bead of sweat began to form as Mai reflected on how to reply his direct questions. She pulled the kettle off of the burner, pouring the water into the small porcelain cup. "Well, Tetsuya…I think I'll have to pass on that offer…The last this that work-a-holic needs is more stress–"

Suddenly, the kitchen door slammed shut, jerking both Mai and Tetsuya's attention.

"Tetsuya, did you…?"

"No. I didn't touch it."

Mai rushed towards the door, pulling the boy behind her as if to protect him. "Tetsuya, stay with me at all times, okay?"

He nodded obediently, much to her surprise. For such a stubborn kid, he sure knows how to behave when it matters most.

She reached for the handle, turning it unsuccessfully.

"This door locks from the outside, Tetsuya?"

A frown formed on the boy's face as he tugged harder on Mai's shirt.

"This door doesn't lock at all."

-

Man, this chapter was so hard for me to write! I think I'm losing my touch…I'll try an attempt to make Mai more...Mai-y in the future. Thanks for all of the critique and creative critisism.

Anyhow, dramatic scenes are abound in the next chapter of Hanging Haunted! Read and review, please.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 4**_

_**-**_

Mai shouted in frustration as her fist came in contact with the jammed door. Her arm that was wrapped loosely around Tetsuya's shoulders tightened.

"Help us!" she cried in desperation. "Naru!"

The boy at her side frowned, gripping onto Mai's shirt. He had already come in contact with this _thing _before, and was definitely not ready to face it again.

There was no other means of escaping the kitchen except for a small window above the sink and another across the room from them. Otherwise it was impossible. And not knowing how unpredictable the spirit was, Tetsuya assumed those windows were shut tightly as well.

His gaze wandered back to the door Mai was pounding on.

Something grabbed hold of Mai's arm, yanking her and causing both of them to fall back on the hard, tiled ground. She sat up quickly, wincing. A drop of blood trickled down her forearm and reached her elbow, falling to the floor. Another cut joined that one, and another, and another.

Mai seemed to take it pretty well, Tetsuya figured. He guessed she was used to it by now.

Scratches lined her arms suddenly as if appearing from thin air.

Finally, she began to fight back, reciting some nonsense that Tetsuya couldn't quite understand.

"Rin, pyō, tō, sha–"

After a while, they both heard voices from the other side. Tetsuya stood and jiggled the door knob, banging on the door while Mai continued with her…uh, chanting.

"Mai? Tetsuya? Are you both in there?" one of them shouted in a very stern voice. The boy recognized it as Mai's boss, Naru.

He nodded though he knew the man couldn't see him. "Yeah!"

'It is hostile. Repeat; it is hostile!' he felt like yelling, but Naru probably already knew that. Maybe that's why he sounded so frustrated? Because his girlfriend was being targeted by some evil spirit thing and there was nothing he could do about it?

"Are both of you okay?" Naru inquired hastily, his hand also finding its way towards the knob. He winced, drawing back. The metal felt as if it were frozen!

From behind him the rest of the SPR members stood worried, mostly Bou-san though. His big-brother instincts kicking, the monk took a step forwards worriedly, placing his hands in position. Just as he opened his mouth to begin, Naru turned and glared, motioning for him to stop.

Bou-san gritted his teeth at being snubbed by his boss.

Tetsuya's voice sounded again. "I am, but I don't know about Ma–!"

"Everything's all right in here! I'm fine, just a few scratches." Mai interrupted, panting.

Somehow Naru didn't quite believe her. That just meant he'd have to get them out faster. "Good," Naru encouraged, his tone border-line concerned. 'I wonder…is their side as cold as this one?'

He turned towards Lin and nodded; the tall man returned his knowing look. The onmyoji brought his fingers to his mouth and suddenly a shrill whistle pierced through the air.

Lin's shiki passed through the door.

"Ah!" Tetsuya shouted as the door suddenly flew open, causing him to fall face first into the Chinese onmyoji's leg.

"T–Tetsuya-san! Are you okay?" John rushed to his side and helped him up, attempting to ignore Lin's cold gaze. Naru, Bou-san, and Masako, on the other hand, hurried straight past them and into the kitchen. The monk and medium landed next to Mai who was panting on the floor, her clothes covered in dust.

She moaned, giving the monk her arm so that he could pull her up.

Masako's brows furrowed. Why was it that Mai was always getting herself into trouble? Such a problem child! She covered her mouth with the sleeve of her light blue kimono trying not to show her worried face. "Mai, do you need anything from the first-aid kit?"

Mai huffed, blowing strands of her hair out of her face, and grinned. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Don't worry us so much!" Bou-san chided in with a apprehensive smile, ruffling her hair and earning himself a scowl.

She slapped his hand away, straightening her tussled locks. "I'm fine!" she reassured.

"Mai."

Mai looked up, barely missing Naru's troubled facial expression as he turned away from her. Frowning, she managed to focus her eyes on his back.

"I want you to stay out of the case for today. Just while we attempt the exorcisms, okay?" he said, running a hand through his hair as he sighed. It was always Mai who got attacked.

"But, Naru…"

"I won't take 'no' as an answer. I've reached my verdict, now go. Rest," he commanded.

Now at her side, John smiled and offered her a hand, pulling her up. "He's right. You've had a rough start on this case. Take Naru-san's advice and rest up while you can. I'm sure you'll be a great help to this case."

She knew the whole team was against her on this one, but she had to find some way…some way to be a part of the investigation. She wasn't going to sit idly by and watch as everyone besides her work.

"What if I get thirsty?"

"Bou-san will get something for you."

"What if I have to go to the bathroom?"

"Masako will accompany you."

"But what if…what if you want tea?"

"John will make it for me."

A chord struck in Mai. No…she didn't want someone else to make Naru's tea. "No!" Mai whined, throwing her arms in the air. "I want to be with you! Can't I at least stay in the base with everybody?"

A frown crossed Naru's face as he thought about it. He sighed, knowing that was the best he could do. "Fine, but you are not to leave the room without someone with you. On second thought…Masako, you and Mai are to be together at all times–for both of your safeties. This spirit is particularly fond of girls. Do not let your guard down."

Mai's face remained with a pout as she watched Naru walk out of the room. She dusted off her shorts and made her way over towards Tetsuya.

"You okay? No cuts?" she inspected his blushing face.

"G–Get off me! Of course I don't have any scratches," he exclaimed, pushing her away.

Mai laughed. "Aw, don't be so stubborn, you hard-headed kid!"

Naru turned around angrily, glaring at the two. Mai felt shivers run down her spine. "Tetsuya, you'd be best off leaving this building. It's a dangerous place for children to be here."

Mai looked down at him and smiled. "Listen to Naru. You could get hur–"

"No," he refused, grabbing onto the girl's wrist, "If this thing is after girls than I have to stay here and protect you."

Both Bou-san and John choked and looked at each other in worry while Masako hid her shocked expression with her sleeve. Lin glared and frowned at the little boy; he was reckless like Mai and didn't know what he was getting himself into.

Everyone glanced towards the most shocked of all.

Naru's fists unconsciously clenched along with his heart. His eyes narrowed filled with detestation.

Nervously, Mai laid her hands on Tetsuya's shoulders. Naru retrained a growl. "You're sweet," she said, smiling. "But Naru's right. What if you get hurt? I know your father wouldn't be happy. I'm sure he'll be upset when he hears about thi–"

Tetsuya wrapped his arms around Mai's neck, lowering her head. Everyone's eyes widened as his lips landed on her cheek in a quick peck.

Leaving the room with a smirk, he turned back to give her one last glance. "Be careful, Mai," he said in his sugary childish tone. He gave off a salute and stalked right past Lin, into the hallway and then to the main room.

Mai's face burned with embarrassment. 'Why can't Naru ever act like that? Gah…! What am I thinking? Naru doesn't like me like that, right?'

From the other side of the room Naru stood, shocked. A feeling began to reside deep within him. He recognized it, but couldn't recall what it was. He remembered when Mai had hugged one of their clients in a previous case. Seiji, was it?

Why did he even care? She was his assistant, after all. A relationship like that was…inappropriate.

Sighing in frustration, he walked slowly past everyone, though he kept his head held high. "Mai," he began, stopping to look at her, "tea."

Mai, more or less, was surprised by his look. It was sorrowful. One look and she almost drowned in the depth of his ocean-like eyes.

She was shocked to say the least. "O–Okay," she said, making her way over towards the granite counter.

Masako nodded at the others, watching them leave the kitchen almost as if saying she would take care of the girl. She then turned back towards Mai, resting a hand on her shoulder in a sisterly way.

Mai could understand Masako even without any words being spoken. Sighing, she nodded. "I know Naru's just in a bad mood, but…he should at least try being a little bit gentler, you know?"

The medium at her side shook her head in disagreement. "I think…I think Naru was trying his best…"

Mai's hands reached for the kettle–the tea she had poured was already cold…

-

Mai's trembling hand reached for the house phone. She pulled it off of the receiver and hastily dialed for 911, holding it to her ear only to find that it had been disconnected.

"Dammit!" she shouted, throwing it onto the floor.

A small knock came from behind her as the door creaked open. Mai turned around in surprise, her feet unconsciously moving her out of the line of fire and behind the couch. She crouched to protect herself.

The man leered at her, grinning maniacally. "You can run, but you can't hide."

"No!" Mai's face scrunched, a sob escaping her lips though she tried to maintain it. "Please stop this!"

Glancing behind her, she grabbed a lamp with her shaky hands, unplugging it from the wall. The light that once illuminated from it disappeared, casting new shadows across the room.

From in front of the couch, he lifted his hands as if they were a white flag. "Hey, it's okay," he cooed gently, "I'll protect you. You're safe with me. Just put the lamp dow–"

"No!" Mai swung recklessly, the lamp shade now lying discarded on the wooden floor. "Stay away from me, you bastard!"

"Sayako, put the lamp down," he commanded again, this time threateningly. Slowly, but surely he advanced towards her, making his way behind the couch.

Mai sobbed, dropping it. They both watched as it shattered. She brought a hand to her chest to calm the rapid beating of her heart. She didn't want him to hear; it was as if he could sense fear in someone.

"I–I…I don't want you t–to touch me!" she pleaded in a small voice, inadvertently stumbling backwards.

Mai winced, hissing. Looking down at her foot she noticed multiple small shards of glass imbedded into her pale flesh. Fresh tears welled up in her brown eyes and eventually overflowed, their trails running down her sticky cheeks.

The man smiled down at her, walking over the shattered glass with his shoes. He grabbed her arm with a strength she had never experienced before and pulled her to her feet. Mai gasped at the pain.

"Why don't I just bandage you up?" he suggested with a smile, dragging her along into the kitchen.

"NO!"

-

"Mai!"

Mai's bloodshot eyes opened wide the very moment Bou-san's voice reached her ears. She looked at him, frightened. His expression, his tone, his movements were all laced with worry and vigilance.

He put a hand to her forehead and turned to John who was standing by, waiting for orders. "She has a fever…Would you mind getting her some Ibuprofen and water?"

"Ah…" John raised his hand, "Naru already went to go get those things. He's also called Ayako in now that she's not busy anymore. He said we needed someone in the medical profession or something along those lines…"

He smiled as Mai sat up, rubbing her eyes groggily.

Mai opened her mouth to say something, but found that she was incapable of doing so. Her body ached with every motion and felt as if it were on fire; her head seemed to weigh more than usual. Her vision was blurred due to a few tears that had welled up in her eyes.

She moaned, turning onto her side and curling up in a ball-like shape.

After a few seconds of waiting, Naru finally made his appearance, walking in with a glass of water and two small pills clenched in the palm of his hand.

He crouched next to the couch as the monk was previously, and offered her the glass. "Open your hands," he commanded a little too harshly for Mai's tastes.

She frowned, but extended her hand graciously, opening it without argument.

Both the monk and the priest blushed upon watching the scene. Bou-san grabbed John by the arm and smiled. "We'll go talk to…uh Masako."

Naru turned to glare just in time before they had completely left the room.

He sighed, refocusing his attention on Mai. "Take them one at a time," he ordered as he dropped the small brown capsule into her outstretched palm.

Mai glared at the pill.

"I can take them both at the same time, you know," she said, the edge to her voice sounding not the least bit pleasant. She looked at him and pouted.

The last thing Naru wanted was to have to deal with his assistant's rambling. "Just take it," he said with a glare directed her way.

Rolling her eyes, Mai brought the crystal glass to her lips. After taking a sip, she quickly popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed with a distasteful look on her face. Naru watched as she repeated this process with the second pill.

"Good," he said as he stood up.

Mai's eyes couldn't help but follow him, landing on his slim torso. She could tell Naru wasn't one to work out, but at least he was more muscular than John. She stifled a tired laugh and stretched across the couch. Naru gazed down at her with a questioning glance.

"Naru…" Sighing, Mai reached out to grab her boss's sleeve. "I have a headache. I never get headaches. Maybe I have a brain tumor?"

"Well, Mai, the reason why you have a headache is probably because of your fever. It's nothing too serious, but you still need to take medicine. You'll most likely have to stay out the whole case. And believe me…you don't have a brain tumor." Naru rolled his eyes at how dramatic she was being, but now that the news of her withdrawal from the case had been leaked, things would get much worse.

Things played out exactly as he would've imagined.

Mai's eyes widened. Her grip on his sleeve tightened as she swung his arm around like a rag doll. "No, no, no! Let me stay!"

"Mai," his tone hardened into that of a strict father, "I'm not letting you investigate."

"But why?!"

A vein popped in Naru's forehead; Lin noticed. He stood from his seat in front of the monitors and covered his mouth to muffle a yawn. Knowing that Mai was delusional and stupid, he decided to state the obvious. "He's after girls."

Mai huffed, finally being forced to let go of her employer's arm. "Well, what about Masako? And isn't Ayako coming?" Her gaze continued to switch between the two nonchalant men.

"Masako and Ayako are responsible…and knowing you…"

"'And knowing you…'? What's that supposed to mean, Lin?" her voice displayed her blatant frustration, which she would usually try to conceal in a situation like this.

'Out of the frying pan and into the fire,' Lin thought to himself. He turned to Naru, avoiding Mai's angered glare.

"The Tylenol is in the kitchen, right?"

-

Wow, I'm sorry for leaving you all on such a big cliffie, but was having some family issues. My mom is trying to put my sister and me on a summer schedule. We have to wake up at ten, eat breakfast, say hello so that she knows we're alive, do chores such as dishwasher and laundry, etc.

I hate my life.

Anywho, a stupid blooper is located below for your reading pleasure.

-

"**Naru…" Sighing, Mai reached out to grab her boss's sleeve. "I have a headache. I never get headaches. Maybe I have a brain tumor?"**

**He turned to her with an emotionless face.** "**That would suck…really bad."**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 5**_

_**-**_

"I can't believe you're taking me out of this case. What if I get attacked either way?" Mai huffed, crossing her arms. She wouldn't let Naru get away so easily this time.

Mai's said boss soon turned to face the girl as she complained non-stop–something she had been keen on doing for the past ten minutes. Finally fed up with her annoying attitude, Naru decided it was time to give her a piece of his mind.

"Mai, I suggest you stop trying to argue your way out of this for the rest of the case before I make you go back home instead of let you stay here. Understand?"

Mai instantly closed her mouth.

"Good," Naru cooed sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he shifted his gaze to the file in front of him.

Mai didn't speak another word about it for the rest of their time together, but continued to glare at the back of her boss's head, never batting an eyelash.

-

When it came time for dinner, SPR ordered from a nearby sushi restaurant, sat, and waited until the food arrived. Fujisaki-san had informed them that he had some business to attend to and would be absent for the rest of the evening. He had also mentioned that Tetsuya was out with a friend and wouldn't be back until morning.

Dinner in the base was almost completely silent except for the occasional whispering in between Bou-san and John. Naru and Lin were at their able where the monitors were, while everyone else had grabbed their own chairs and were now seated around the coffee table. They let poor Mai rest on the couch.

She wondered if anything had happened while she was asleep that she didn't know about. Or perhaps they heard her and Naru arguing earlier? Either way, it seemed more than awkward among everyone.

One of Mai's coughing fits broke the silence.

The first to move was Bou-san. He stood and hurried to her side, almost knocking down his chair in the process. He forced her to sit up and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Are you alright, Mai?" he inquired also telling her to cover her mouth.

Out of the corner of Mai's eye she saw John's panicked face as he ran for the door. "I'll get her some water," he said.

Naru waited until her attack had faded to speak. "Mai, are you sure you want to stay here? It could threaten you health condition."

John hurried back into the room, trying carefully not to tip the cup which was filled to the brink with crystal clear water. He held it in front of Mai's face for a while until she had the strength to take it from him. The priest smiled kindly, warning her not to spill it.

Mai turned to Naru, anger evident in her facial expression. "I'm not leaving no matter what," she practically exclaimed, her hoarse voice cracking at the pressure she was applying.

Naru looked over her face, taking in everything about her: her wrinkled brow, her tussled hair, and her pouting lips…These things made her seem all the more attractive.

He barely concealed his blush as he nodded. "If things become too bad, I'll take you out of the case whether you want it or not."

Mai pouted, but she didn't speak again knowing that her boss would only repeat himself. She settled on cuddling up to a soft feather pillow that Masako had retrieved from their room.

Everyone was treating her so nicely–not teasing her about things left and right like usual. It was odd just to have everyone give you peace for once.

Before Mai could think another thought, the door slammed open by none other than Ayako Matsuzaki herself. Everyone (most everyone) flinched as the woman entered the room, glaring at everything in sight.

Bou-san's face turned a little blue, Mai noticed, as he murmured something about a devil woman. Ayako huffed at the monk, but paused once her eyes reached the brown-haired assistant.

"Mai!" she nearly squealed as she hastily paced her way across the spacious room.

The said girl almost died from lack of oxygen as the miko decided to block her airway with intense hugging.

"Oh, how are you? I heard from Naru that you were sick, so I hurried over here as fast as I could. Are you okay? Do you need any help with anything?"

"The only thing Mai needs right now is to breathe," Masako stated simply, pointing to said girl, "her face is turning blue."

Realizing she was squeezing too hard, Ayako dropped her with a shocked gasp. Smiling, she turned to Naru, "You want me to stay with her, Naru?"

"Yes, you will watch over Mai for the rest of the case. Everyone will remain in teams. Never leave the person you're with under any circumstances," he nodded to himself deciding he was doing the right thing even though, in truth, he wanted to stay by Mai and make sure she was safe himself, "Masako will be with Lin and I, John and Bou-san will be together."

Mai slumped at his words. 'Naru's with Masako? Is he taking me out of this case because he wants to be with Masako? No, but he just said they'd be with Lin…' She pondered over the situation, not noticing that things had gone back to normal.

They were talking, making fun of each other, laughing…Ayako was just that powerful.

Mai clenched her fist as the monk burst out with laughter only to be smacked upside the head by the said red-headed priestess. She looked over at Naru who had just rolled his eyes, turning back to his work, a sort of smirk plastered to his face. A force pulled at Mai's heartstrings; she didn't feel so good all of the sudden.

Mai kicked her legs over the side of the couch and stood up unsteadily, catching everyone's, even Naru's, attention.

"I'm going to bed," she said tightly, not noticing the slightly heated tone in her voice. Ayako stood also, following behind her like a lost chick. She looked back at the rest of the team, almost apologetically as if it were her fault, and closed the door behind her.

No one seemed to notice anything strange, and began talking normally. Mai was probably frustrated due to lack of sleep–no, wait…she gets plenty of that. Nonetheless, the sound of bickering and chaos erupted, regardless of Mai's absence, the echo of an occasional laugh reverberating down the long hallway.

Only Naru's eyes lingered on the door.

-

Mai huffed as she flopped down onto her futon and covered herself with the comforter, almost as if she were ignoring Ayako.

The miko caught on fast, laying her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Mai, what's wrong?" she inquired in a very knowing, motherly tone. She rubbed Mai's back slowly.

"Nothing," Mai said stubbornly, shrugging the older woman's hand away.

Ayako slumped in a dejected manner, sitting Indian-style as she collected her thoughts. "Mai," she finally reinforced herself confidently, making use of her sturdy, non-faltering voice. "I _know_ something's wrong, but I can't help if I don't know what it's about."

A ruffling sound was heard as Mai shifted to turn around, matching Ayako's glare with a powerful one of her own. Her lips were curled downwards, a pouty scowl very evident on her face. The miko managed to contain a laugh.

"Naru hates me! He wants me gone. That's why he keeps asking me if I want to leave. Plus he's on a freaking team with Masako!" She ignored the stinging in the back of her eyes.

After a moment of silence, Ayako burst out laughing, holding her sore stomach. Mai's fits of jealousy were so adorable. It almost pained the miko to watch. "Mai, Mai, Mai. The reason why Naru wants you to stay out of this investigation is because he wants for you to be safe. Besides, even if Naru's on a team with Masako…they still have Lin. There's no way Masako would do anything."

Mai shook her head angrily. "That's what I keep telling myself, but I just can't…believe it."

Running a newly manicured hand through her red hair, Ayako smiled, chuckling. She wanted so badly to tell Mai that she was just a little jealous, but she knew that it would just cause the girl to throw another fit. Laughing, she pinched the small assistant's cheeks playfully. "Do you want to go back to the base, Mai?"

"No, I'll stay here," Mai said in a dejected tone, "You go without me."

"I can't leave you alone, thou–" before the Shinto priestess could finish her sentence, a knock was heard.

Mai looked up questioningly, but Ayako just shrugged. She stood, wiping the imaginary dust from her pants. "Hello?" she inquired as she cracked the door ajar.

Mai couldn't see exactly who Ayako was talking to, but decided that she didn't care in the first place. She laid her warm head against her arm, cursing her feverish skin. 'It's so hot,' she thought, kicking her comforter away.

The creak of the door sounded, and Mai assumed Ayako was letting whoever was at the door into the room. Not that she cared. "I'll leave Mai with you," the miko finally said, causing the brown-haired assistant great confusion. The said girl turned around in just enough time to watch as the woman slid out of the room with a sly smile upon her face.

"Play nicely," she cooed, closing the door without a second thought.

Mia's jaw dropped at the man standing in front of her.

_Naru_

-

Bou-san nodded and laughed at the cute anecdote his priest friend was telling him, and looked up as the door to the base opened, assuming that whoever was entering was Naru.

"A–Ayako?" he stuttered, the sushi he had just stuffed in his mouth nearly falling out.

John turned around to face the door way. He smiled politely. "Welcome back, Matsuzaki-san. Is Mai feeling okay? She seemed to be acting strange earlier."

Ayako nodded as she closed the door behind her. She sighed, taking a seat (flopping) on the couch. "Mai's just being stubborn as usual. She's such a kid, you know?" she said, a look of frustration twisted upon her face.

John smiled nervously. "I wouldn't put it that way," he defended.

Masako, on the other hand, decided to voice her agreement with Ayako. She nodded stiffly. "I think Matsuzaki-san is correct. Mai is very immature for her age. It will take time for Naru and Mai to work things out, I think, depending on the mood of course."

Takigawa chuckled, pausing mid-nod. "W–Wait a second! If Ayako is here, then that means Naru and Mai are…?"

Lin rolled his eyes.

-

"N–Naru," Mai stammered, sitting up quickly.

"Yes, Mai, I know my own name," Naru said with a glare, similar to the one Mai was currently shooting him. He sighed. "Now if you would kindly tell me why exactly you're acting this way…? I'd like an answer."

He sat down on Masako's futon Indian-style and waited patiently, equally matching her fierce stare. Mai knew that it would continue on like this unless she said something to move him, but what? What could she tell him? What did he want to hear from her?

"Naru," she started calmly, "If you really want me to leave, then…Just tell me if you don't want me here." She took a deep breath to keep her voice from quivering.

She was saying all of this, and yet…she wanted so badly to stay and help; to show Naru that she could actually do something other than get herself in trouble.

Naru sat for a while, not saying anything. "Look at me, Mai."

Mai did as he said and directed her attention at him, only to have his hand land smack-dab in the middle of her warm forehead.

"You're hot; burning up for that matter. But right now we're on a complicated case with a ghost that's after girls. I don't want you to stay here if you're unable to defend yourself when the time comes. That's why I want you to go back home–"

"Because I'm a hindrance?" He voice shook with the weight of guilt. She just brought everyone down along with her whenever something bad happened. It was always her fault.

"No, Mai, it's because you're my responsibility. If you get hurt on my account, I won't be able to…"

Mai waited with wide eyes as he paused, thinking logically about what he was saying. Naru then sighed, waving his comment away. But Mai wouldn't let him go so easily. "No," she shook her head for him to go on, "What were you going to say?"

Her boss's frowned at her persistence, but refused to answer to something so embarrassing and demeaning. "It was nothing. Anyway, stop sulking. You haven't eaten anything, correct?"

Before she knew it, Naru had her by the arm and had already pulled her up from the floor. He dragged her (as gently as possible for someone like him) towards the door. "If you don't eat anything, you can't take medicine. You should also drink lots of fluids. The sooner you become healthier, the better, right?"

Naru's hand absentmindedly slipped from her elbow down to her hand, Mai noticed as they locked fingers. Her face flushed multiple colors of red before bringing them to a halt in the hallway, just a few more steps until they were at the base.

Naru turned around in confusion, occupying himself with string at his assistant's heated cheeks. Mai, on the other hand, couldn't bear to look him in the face, so she ended up sided with gazing at her feet.

Naru's grip on her hand tightened in a comforting way, which is when Mai realized that it hadn't been absentmindedly that her boss's hand had locked fingers with her own. It had been on purpose. Mai flushed even more.

She wobbled, beginning to feel light-headed as blood rushed to her cheeks rapidly. "I don't…I don't feel so…good," she said unevenly, falling into his chest.

If Mai would've been looking up, she would've seen the fierce blush and shocked expression on Naru's face, but instead, she buried her head into him, slumped, and let him catch her as she finally lost consciousness. As gently as possible, Naru lifted her in his arms bridal style, and headed quickly to the base to get Ayako.

"Matsuzaki-san," he yelled as he kicked the door to the base open and walked through side-ways making sure not to harm Mai.

All of the SPR members looked up in alarm. Ayako gasped and stood, swallowing her food fast. "Naru, Mai?!"

The said man made his way over to the couch, resting his assistant on the soft fabric.

Bou-san nearly chocked, standing up as well to get a better look at her. "Wh–What happened to her, Naru? Is she going to be okay?"

John and Masako sat nervously, wanting to hear good news about Mai's condition. Naru ran a hand through his hair and almost began to pace nervously, but stopped himself. "She fainted in the middle of the hallway."

Ayako turned to the monk. "Get me a rag soaked in cold water."

"Y–Yes, Ma'am," Bou-san said obediently, but blanched at the woman's serious tone and stumbled out of the door in a hurry.

John looked upon Mai with worry. "I hope it's not anything serious," he commented a tone of dread in his voice.

"Nah," Ayako smiled, brushing the sweat soaked bangs from Mai's forehead. "She just got over-heated. I think she might be out of it for a while, but there's nothing to worry about–"

"I–I got it!" Bou-san panted as he returned. "Think fast!"

Ayako barely caught the wet rag that flew at her face. She directed him a menacing glare as he walked over towards them.

"You're the one who needs to think fas–!"

"Wow, Matsuzaki-san! You must know a lot about a person's health since both of your parents are doctors, right?" John asked, clearly interested with adoration in his voice.

The miko swirled around, her cheeks pink with pride as she puffed her chest out in an arrogant manner. "Naturally!"

Masako covered her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono making a very objectionable comment. Bou-san laughed, slapping the priest on the back playfully (though he did not seem to realize his own strength).

Lin just rolled his eyes and enjoyed his sushi. No matter how much he hated the Japanese, their cooking was amazing…well, except Mai's.

-

This chapter was so hard to write! But don't worry, I promise to update sooner. Plus there will be more interesting things in the future! Guess who gets possessed?

Read and review!


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 6**_

_**-**_

Mai's eyes cracked open as light flooded into the room containing just her and a self-proclaimed miko by side, who was surprising still awake (just barely, though).

She had obviously been carried into her room, but by whom, she wondered.

Discarding her warm comforter, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Once her blurry vision was cleared, she yawned and stretched. Her entire body had felt like it had crashed and burned, but Mai brushed it off like it was nothing and continued moving.

"Good morning, Ayako."

"You mean good night. It 's almost 1 o' clock," the older woman grunted, looking at her with tired eyes. But as soon as Mai stood, she became alert and ready. "Where do you think you're going?" she inquired, standing and blocking the only exit.

"The base. That's where everyone is, isn't it?" Mai paused sporting a questioning look.

"Yes, but _you_ have to stay in bed."

"Why?"

The miko pushed her back, sitting her on her futon. Checking her forehead with the back of her hand, she sighed in frustration. She reached beside her for a bottle and opened it, shaking it until there were two orange pills in the palm of her outstretched hand. "Because you're sick. Besides, they're about to stop soon anyway."

Ayako handed the capsules to her, and then looked around for a bottle of water.

"But Lin has night shift, maybe I could help hi–"

"Mai, I have Naru's orders." Her serious tone stung Mai.

Ayako handed her a half emptied bottle of mineral water. "This is mine. I hope you don't mind."

"No," Mai said to her distantly, taking the pill without any further complaint. The red head sighed helplessly, rubbing her friend's shoulder in a motherly fashion.

"Look Mai, the last thing any of us want is a hurt teammate. That's why Naru is going to such lengths to keep you out of this investigation. Please remember that," she reasoned.

The door opened unsubtly, startling the two. Their attention focused on Naru who stood outside of the room with a questioning look.

Ayako huffed, standing, "You taking my place?" she inquired, earning a nod from the stoic man. "She needs ibuprofen every six hours, but I just gave her some, okay?"

Naru didn't answer her, but brushed right passed her. Quite embarrassed by being ignored, her cheeks puffed out in anger. "And you should knock when entering a room. Geez, where are your manners?"

Mai rolled her eyes as the door slammed shut behind the woman. "You really should be a little bit nicer to those who come to help you of their free will," she whispered to her boss, her voice containing a hint of laughter. It always gave her pleasure to watch Naru and Ayako tease each other. Naru of course, always remained the victor.

Naru disregarded her comment, sitting next to her. His hand reached out to touch her cheek, but paused half-way, sighing. Returning his hand to his side like it had never happened, he said in low, desolate tone. "How are you feeling, Mai?"

She was confused, to say the least. Why was he behaving in such an uncharacteristic manner? Was he…almost about to touch her? "Naru, are you not feeling well either?"

He shook his head, rubbing his temples. "No, no…It's just a headache," he forced a smile and earned a strange look from his assistant.

"Are you sure…?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," he said distantly, "Everything's fine."

"Well, if you say so."

Naru nodded as a matter-of-factly, rolling his eyes. "You worry too much, Mai. Now lie down and get some rest. You'll never get better if you don't," he said, just as she was about to object.

Once on her back, Mai sighed, staring up into her boss's eyes with only the slightest bit of tiredness in her system. "But I'm wide awake. How long have I been asleep?"

"Quite a while, actually…"

Something was wrong with him, Mai realized. She rambled in her head for the next few minutes, thinking out several scenarios that could cause her boss to act in such away, although each and every one of them seemed much too highly unlikely or weird. She pondered over him as she looked up into his deep sapphire eyes. Something had changed in them…

Mai sat up quickly, eyes widening.

Naru, who had been staring at her confused face for quite some period time a look of amusement evident on his own, backed up just enough to dodge her incoming head. He threw her a questioning look as she stood. "What are you doing?" he inquired, almost as if he were suspicious of her.

"I–I have to tell Lin something," she admitted, attempting to hide her nervousness, "privately."

"What's so private that you have to tell Lin that you can't tell me? I am your boss after all," he said, his voice borderline edgy. Naru stood as well, accosting her threateningly. He grabbed her arm, pinning her against the wall.

Mai winced in fear as his body got closer to hers, closing the gap between the two. If at any other moment, Mai would've been the happiest girl alive, but right now…

Naru was possessed.

Mai was surprised. The last time Naru had become possessed was by a freaking deity. Even then it hadn't fully taken over his body. Was this serial killer ghost really that strong?

How was she possibly going to get out of this one? Well, last time he was possessed, the ghost's motive was to mainly to kill, and it was pretty much safe to say that this ghost's motive was to rape, _and then_ kill…

Did somebody mention rape?

Naru confirmed her thoughts as his lips suddenly attacked the pale skin of her neck, tailing down towards her collar bone, and finally reaching edge of her shirt. Meanwhile, his hands traveled all over her body, starting up and going down. They rested on his assistant's hips.

Surprised by his actions, Mai moaned in protest, her hands pushing against his chest, trying to think up an escape route.

But before she could even gather enough air in her lungs for a scream, her boss's lips attacked her own, sealing her mouth shut. She drew her tongue back in an attempt to break the kiss, but Naru held her fast, disallowing her getaway.

They finally parted, but due to lack of oxygen, Mai was unable to call for help. She was dizzy, her throat scratchy and sore. She huffed and huffed, pushing her boss back.

"Stop, Naru! I know you're in there, so wake up!" she cried desperately, looking into his eyes with a sliver of anticipation in hopes that he would all of the sudden return to normal.

Mai's confident attitude soon faltered once the dark-haired man looked up with a wild grin on his face. "Sorry, but I think I'll inhabit this body a bit longer. Oh, and I'll make sure your precious Naru remembers everything that happens between you and I. I wonder how he'll react when he remembers raping you."

His hand slipped under her shirt.

"No!" Mai screamed with salty tears in her eyes. This sudden outburst surprised him. He covered her mouth with his hand, pushing her harder up against the wall.

"Shut up, woman!"

But Mai grinned with victory as multiple sets of footsteps pierced the unbearable silence. Someone pounded on the door and screamed her name; Bou-san.

"Naru's possessed!"

Suddenly, the warmth from her boss which encompassed her body and kept out the cold night air disappeared, and the last thing she caught of his slim, black figure was of him slipping out of her window, a grin evident on his face. "Next time you won't be so lucky."

Mai shivered in fear as his face vanished from her line of sight.

She turned slowly, unlocking the door which she had previously leaned on. As soon as she did so, it swung open (barely hitting her in the face). Bou-san flew in, looking around for a certain narcissist to beat up, but he was nowhere to be found. Lin followed after him, also shocked.

The girls plus John, however, immediately ran towards Mai, who know lie in a shivering mess on the floor, comforting her in any way possible.

Bou-san turned towards their huddled figures around Mai, and said solidly, "You three, get Mai into the base. Let her sleep on the couch. Lin and I will handle this from here."

John nodded, taking responsibility into his own hands as he supported Mai with his shoulder, swinging her arm around his neck. "Leave it to us!"

Lin automatically turned back to the crime scene as they went off to bring Mai to the base. Naru was possessed again. What a sticky situation they had allowed themselves to be in. But when had Naru even become possessed? The Chinese onmyoji stuck his head out of the window and turned on his flashlight, inspecting the area.

Once Bou-san got back to work, he decided it would be best if the checked the outside of the house. After all, how far could he have gone?

They split up and circled the house, Lin going one way, and Bou-san the other. Much to their disappointment, they turned up empty. After searching a few times more, they even took extra precautions by looking for him inside the house. Unfortunately, their boss was still nowhere to be found.

"Dammit!" the monk cried in frustration, slamming his hand up against the wall. "Where could he have possibly gone, Lin? We can't just tell Mai, 'He disappeared; too bad'! What if that psycho finds some way to get in the house and attempts to attack her again? I'm not going to let that happen."

Lin sighed. He understood what Takigawa was saying because he too, just like the rest of the team, cared for Mai. Well, maybe not in the same way that the rest of them did, but he did respect her. And he was sure that Naru liked her more than just a friend. He was _pretty_ sure, at least. "Takigawa-san, I'm sure that Naru will come to his senses," he said. But from what Bou-san could tell, is seemed more like he was trying to convince himself of that.

"Yeah," he agreed, his face void of emotion.

-

"What do you mean he's gone?"

The sharp inquiry pierced throughout the silent room from none other than Ayako. She stood up as if she were in court, objecting someone's statement. The room's attention was now focused on her as she huffed in anger.

Lin nodded, approving her question with hidden resentment. It was tough to admit that Naru had avoided them somehow, slipping past their every loophole. Well, he was possessed by a psychotic serial killer; it's hard to say they didn't try their best.

Ayako started up again, her eyes raging like a fire. "So while Mai's here, hurt, no less, that madman is on the loose? Meaning he could strike at any time?"

"Look, Ayako, even if we had been able to catch him, I doubt we'd even be able to contain him. Naru's stronger than you think," Bou-san attempted to explain in the most comforting way possible. His explanation, however, just seemed to add fuel to the fire.

John frowned in confusion, tapping his chin in thought. He had been a minister in confession many times in his career as a priest, and many times had he been confessed to by criminals admitting murders and such. Along the way it seemed he had learned quite a bit about their methods, though not once had he encountered a serial murderer. No…serial murderers were not ones to admit their crimes, even to a priest who couldn't tell anyone. "If he's that strong, then why didn't he just stay in the room and attack us? Why would he run like that?" he inquired, making a very sensible point. Even the rest of the team knew how powerful Naru could get and that he'd be able to take them on all at once. "Maybe he's waiting for something?"

"But what?" Masako ended for him, also deep in thought. When one of her friends was in danger, she'd do her best to protect them, even if they were her rival. So at this time, she thought long and hard about cases she might have had similar to this one in particular. Unfortunately for her, there were none.

Mai sat on the couch of the base, out of breath and tired with tear-stained cheeks. Could ghosts really make you remember what happened when you were possessed, or was he just bluffing? What if Naru did remember? What would he say to her? But what would he do now that he's possessed? Would he come and attack her in her sleep when she was vulnerable or something?

A sharp pain suddenly coursed through her body. She held her head in a tight grip and closed her eyes, too pained to conceal her look of hurt.

"Mai?" Ayako called her name with worry as she looked back at the girl in question. "Are you okay? The medicine should be kicking in right now."

She brushed off the miko's words, disregarding them without a second thought. "Me? Don't worry; it's just a bad head ache."

Ayako said nothing more, but her concern was plain to see. Ever since they had retrieved her from that room, Mai had been acting awfully strange. She hid behind a smile all the while, but something was definitely bothering her. It was like every time she'd try to talk, the tears would reappear.

And although Ayako seemed to drop the topic, Masako didn't seem so convinced. To SPR's surprise, it was the medium that popped the question everyone had been asking themselves. "What really happened between you and Naru? It's not like you to act like this. Something happened, am I right?" she questioned bluntly.

John opened his mouth as if he were about to scold the 16-year old, but was interrupted by Mai.

She wiped away the nearing waterworks and attempted to steady her voice before she sounded too much like a sobbing idiot, but to her, it seemed to come out like that anyway. "I had known that something was wrong, but I didn't complain. He was acting so gentle, telling me I should rest if I ever wanted to feel better. And then I saw…his eyes. I saw how they weren't Naru's in that glazed over way. And then I tried to get out of the room, but he pinned me against the door and must've locked it in the process."

John's face saddened as he even tried to picture the situation; Mai writhing underneath Naru's strong frame in fear. He wondered what it must've been like for her. The girl's each covered their mouths in shock, Ayako with her newly manicured hand, and Masako with the sleeve of her ocean blue kimono adorned with small, white cranes. Lin almost bit in tongue in anger at his boss's actions. How could've Naru been so open? Even though it wasn't his fault, his parents would throw a huge fit over his 'assaulting an assistant'. The poor guy; Luella could rant for ages.

"Mai," Bou-san started his voice emitting the seriousness of the situation, "did he do anything to you?"

"N–No…Nothing _too _serious, anyway," she said, muffling a few hiccups behind her shaking hand.

Ayako slammed her hand down hard on the coffee table in front of Mai, blushing. "What do you mean by, _nothing too serious_?"

Mai's cheeks were hit by a wave of blood. Her face began to heat up, and even though she couldn't exactly see herself at the moment, she knew very well that she was blushing. The girl twiddled her fingers, remembering quite clearly the events that had previously taken place in her room a few minutes prior. The red on her cheeks darkened.

Instead of saying anything at all to the shocked faces of her co-workers (not really, but she'd like to think so), she slapped her face in embarrassment and looked downwards into her lap.

They were more than shocked when Ayako's question was answered by Mai's tense silence, but the miko wasn't willing to give up that easily. "MAI?! What happened between you two?" she literally shrieked, grabbing the blushing girl by the shoulders and shaking her wildly in an attempt to make her respond.

Masako remained in her chair–sandwiched between a nervous John and quite relieved monk (he was just thankful that his poor Mai was (probably) still a virgin)–a look horror on her face. What had that spirit _done_ to Naru?

She could only manage to tell herself, think happy thoughts.

-

Gasp! So it was Naru (but I already knew that, didn't I)?

And, dude, I can't believe I almost made him rape her! I should've just finished it and done the deed. You bet both Mai and Naru would've been happy, but life (sex, in this matter) does not come that easy. Patience is the key.

You guys are wonderful reviewers. I thank you all sincerely for waiting with patience for this chapter. It didn't some easy, I tell you. And I'm very proud of myself actually. I've been looking back on a lot of my older writing, and I think I've taken a huge step with it. I think I've gotten much better, don't you? It still needs heaps of work, though, so I'm open to any suggestions about sentence structure, grammar, spelling, characters being…in-character. Constructive criticism is very much welcome!

Sorry for keeping this fanfiction T-rated. =/


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 7**_

_**-**_

June 27  
Day 3 (1:57 AM)

Mai sighed, restless.

She had told Ayako and Masako everything that had happened between herself and Naru that night (though she decided to leave out there part where he threatened to make Naru remember it out). Of course, she had silently requested for the boys to leave before doing so, as to not embarrass herself any further (she had backup, of course). Ayako congratulated her on finally getting to first base with the stubborn man, but Mai kept in mind her previous…encounters with Naru (refer back to _The Sweet Taste of Death_).

Masako had been quite puzzled at that moment after Mai had finished explaining her situation. She wasn't nearly as upset as she thought she would (or should) be. In fact, Masako couldn't help but feel a twinge of happiness for her friend, although she knew she shouldn't since they were rivals.

Mai placed a hand on the medium's shoulder, bringing the doll-like girl out of her thoughts. She probably looked ridiculous with that stupid dazed look on her face, Masako though, shaking her head as if to get a hold of herself. Looking up, she smiled. "I'm happy for you, Mai, but if it were me…I'd rather _not_ have him possessed while kissing."

Ayako's mouth thinned into a straight line as she realized that Masako was completely right. It was like sucking face with another man! Now that she thought back on it, she felt sorrier for her than anything else. The only thing that the miko could think at the time was: crash and burn.

Mai covered her face and fell back, her head coming in contact with the arm of the couch a little harder than she had expected. This only managed to make her headache worsen. "That's what I keep telling myself over and over again. Naru would never seriously kiss my like that, you know?" her voice became muffled underneath her clammy hands.

"Say," Ayako started again, wanting to change the subject as fast as possible. "Was it scary?"

Mai then folded her arms across her stomach and nodded, her eyes widening with just the thought of how scared she was. There was no use denying it. Anyone who was about to be raped probably felt the same way as her, even if by someone close to them, like it had been in her case. "My heart was pounding so hard against my chest I thought it would break a few of my ribs. I could barely breathe; Naru's heavier than I thought."

Smiles broke out onto their faces as Mai joked around, laughing. They rarely ever had girl moments like this, and Mai felt that they should have them a lot more often.

The door suddenly opened in the midst of their giggles, creaking ajar as the monk who had been waiting patiently outside popped his head into the room. He held a nervous look on his face, afraid if said any wrong word that Ayako would begin throwing objects at him just as she had done when telling him to leave the first time (remember when I told you Mai had backup?).

"C–Can I come in?"

From this question he received a death glare. Ayako finally sighed, realizing she was being too tough on him. They were practically done talking about it anyway. The miko looked over towards Mai for permission, and nodded for Bou-san to enter when Mai accepted.

The monk sighed in relief, stepping into the room in a very casual manner as if he had never been scared in the first place. He glanced over at Mai. "I checked outside again. He's still nowhere to be found. It's kind of hard to find someone that dresses in all black, you know? I'm sorry, Mai." Smiling with tired eyes, Mai waved her hand to indicate that she really wasn't bothered by it, but thankful that he cared about her.

John stepped in behind him, the clanks of porcelain against porcelain catching their attention as he entered with a tray of tea. He set it down gently onto the coffee table, letting Mai get first pick. "Maybe he's somewhere off of this property?" he suggested, turning towards the monk with a concerned face.

"But think about it," Bou-san clarified for them simply, "if his spirit was trapped in this house or on this property, it would be unlikely for him to leave, which is good and bad for its own reasons. It's good because if he _could _leave, we might have another serial killer on our hands, this time in Naru's body, plus we know he's nearby (although that thought isn't very comfortable). It's bad because he can strike whenever he wants. We'll just have to pull all nighters until this case is resolved and we can free Naru of this spirit."

They all sighed, disappointed.

Mai looked up surprised. "Hey, where's Lin? I noticed he wasn't in on our depressed fest."

Ayako huffed and shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't think that man even has enough emotion to be depressed, Mai. Maybe he's a little pissed off, but not depressed. An apathetic Lin is more like him," she said as a matter-of-factly, nodding to herself as if she were agreeing.

In the secluded corner, Bou-san brooded. Why was it that Lin and Naru were so special? Why did she pay so much attention to them? It was useless to think about, the monk realized, composing himself. Why did he care so much anyway? "Lin is on the phone with Madoka. I heard her screaming from the other end saying something about knocking some sense into Naru when she gets over here."

"Nothin' like a good punch from Madoka to make things all better," Mai whispered to herself with a content sigh. Yes, everything just seemed to get better when Madoka was around. She was like the mother of your best friend who was really cool and acted like your own mother when you were away from home. Such things Mai had never really thought about until now, when she needed the mother of her best friend that would comfort her in place of her own and make her feel all satisfied

Once Lin got off the phone with everyone's favorite pink-haired character, he joined the rest of the team in the base. It seemed to surprise her when he reached for the last cup of tea gratefully and sat in his chair like nothing was bothering him. He probably really tired and upset over the whole Naru thing. "Okay," Bou-san started suddenly and stood up, startling them as he did so. His voice adopted a tone of authority as he explained (or more like enforced) his brilliant plan, "Since not many of us can stay awake for much longer, I suggest we take shifts watching Mai. Lin, of course, has already nominated himself."

The Chinese onmyoji glared daggers at the monk, taking a sip of his tea. This action seemed to cause a great deal of fright for the monk, for he hid behind the unsuspecting Ayako (who also glared at him as if telling him to write his will now).

"S–So who wants to be second?"

When no one answered, John sighed and raised his hand like the Good Samaritan he was. "I will, if that's okay with you," he offered to Mai, his eyes pleading for someone–ANYONE–to object, but in the end he was left to second shift. Masako bowed her head with an apologetic look plastered onto her face. Her hand landed on his should in a comforting manner.

"I will take the third shift," she said, her reply muffled by the sleeve of her kimono.

"If we need it, I'll take fourth," Ayako said, yawning.

Bou-san nodded. "Now that that's settled, we should figure out how to break this news to Fujisaki-san and Tetsuya…"

-

(2:41 AM)

Mai yawned as she lie awake, listening to the hypnotic tapping of keys on Lin's laptop and the occasional page flip of John's book. It was technically the priest's turn to keep watch over her, but since Lin was researching anyway, neither of them minded having him around just for the company. Multiple cans of soda and mugs once filled to the brink with steaming coffee littered the table in front of Mai. After what had transpired between herself and Naru, she was bent on remaining conscious even if it meant twenty trips to the kitchen and filling her system with an amount of caffeine that was most definitely health threatening. Well, someone did tell her to drink fluids.

Of course, the consequences of her actions came back quite quickly.

Mai realized this as the sudden urge to urinate overcame her. She scrunched her face in an unpleasant way and twisted her leg together in hopes that it would pass over her like a quick spell. But just as all things do not work out like planned, neither did Mai's idea. She now regretted drinking so much.

Mai also regretted pushing off her blanket which provided her warmth in the cold night air. This action caught John's attention. He quickly marked his place and looked up at her with a smile once he had put his book down. "Is there anything you need, Mai? I can get it for you."

Mai nodded her head hastily, wasting no time with words. She stood, shifting her weight from one side to another constantly while holding her bladder as a direct and obvious sign that she had to _go_. The priest, being as innocent as he was, just bobbed his head up and down, blushing cutely at her childish gestures. He quickly guided her out of the room, but not before stopping to tell Lin they would be back in a while (he received no reply, however).

Once she was finished and had hastily washed her hands, Mai grabbed John by the arm and dragged him back into the room, much to his surprise. He had never seen someone in such a rush, but he figured Mai couldn't help herself. After all, it was quite scary knowing that someone was out to get you. The most frightening thing though, was the fact that he probably had the spare house key. They couldn't find it anywhere (plus Bou-san was positive that Fujisaki had giving it to him before leaving earlier).

The priest looked upon her with pity although he knew she didn't want it. He just couldn't help but feel sad, confused, angry, and worried for her. He usually didn't feel like such, since Mai was always one to express herself on her own. But now that Naru was involved, she was having quite a bit of trouble letting her emotions free.

Mai rested against the door once they had successfully gotten back inside, her breath coming out in strained huffs. She was scared; it was pretty plain to see, plus her fever didn't help her much.

John sighed, offering to help her back to the couch but she simply pushed his hands away and went on her own. He frowned slightly and continued reading his book, waiting for his time to end.

-

Mai opened her chocolate brown orbs to find herself floating in a black abyss. It was odd because ever since they had come to the Fujisaki residence, she never once had a dream like this. Her feet came in contact with some sort of solidness she had assumed was the ground, and straightened herself, looking past the many willow-wisps that drifted upwards.

She knew this in her usual dreams. _He_ would appear soon…

Just as Mai expected, out of the darkness manifested a figure–one that Mai recognized all too well.

"Naru," she said with a laughing tone in her voice. She sighed in relief. It had almost seemed as if he wouldn't appear in this case either, the thought of which alarmed her. She was glad to see him again.

Gene smiled, patting her head as if to tell her she was a good girl. Mai blushed, but retreated. He past experiences with Naru…must've been too much for her to handle in just one night. He sighed mentally, making a reminder to bitch slap his younger brother the next time they got in contact.

"Mai, I'm sorry about what happened. I'm sure that…he'll come to his senses soon," he said, his words chosen with the utmost caution and consideration. Everything he said was done in such a manner. If Mai found out before time was due…he wouldn't know what he'd tell her.

The girl currently in question nodded, pain evident in her eyes. Deciding that changing the topic was quite appropriate at the moment, she turned to look around her and said in a most confused voice, "Why did you show me those dreams before, Naru?"

"You mean 'dream'. Only one was shown to you by me. A spirit residing in this house must've shown you the other. You were practically reliving her experience. I showed you how she was killed. The spirit probably showed you happened prior to her death, if she was, in fact, Emi."

Mai nodded her head slowly, though a bit confused.

"The only reason that serial killer has made a move is probably because he knows you're seeing these things. Always watch your back, Mai. Even in broad daylight," Gene warned, his voice a tad edgy. The hand on her shoulder tightened with concern.

Mai understood this unspoken unease.

"Before I go, Mai," he started again, a small ghost of a frown on his face, "check out the attic for me. Report what you find, but _do not_ go unless someone is accompanying you, understand?"

And with that, he was gone.

-

(3:24 AM)

Mai gasped, sitting up a little faster than she would've liked. The room around her began to spin like ingredients in a mixer. Suddenly, a power both comforting yet cold, forced her to lie back down onto the soft couch. When she reopened her eyes, she found an emotionless Lin and sympathetic medium above her.

The onmyoji was the first to move. He stood straight and coughed a little, embarrassed for being so concerned in Mai's affairs. "I'll make us some tea," he offered quietly, stalking out of the room.

Mai sighed as Masako rested a hand on her warm forehead. She frowned, brushing the annoying strands of her friend's hair out of her face. "You fever has done nothing but get worse. Are you stressed about something? You know…Naru would be scolding you if he were here right now."

The medium did not receive anything close to a reply, but instead, a small huff.

Mai's stubbornness would never change.

The door creaked open as Lin pushed his way inside with a tray balancing three tea cups. After setting it down gently on the coffee table in front of the two girls and taking his own, he retreated back to his chair and sat as if nothing had happened. His face suddenly became lit with the soft glow of his laptop's desktop as he simply tapped the mouse pad.

From beside Mai, Masako cringed as if she were in pain. Her friend, snapping out of her daydreaming, turned with alarm. "Masako? Masako, are you okay?"

"Another one…Another one has appeared," she said, her breathing labored. Mai's outstretched arm offered the girl some support, but she looked up to Lin for help. The onmyoji, however, was already on it. Grabbing the medium by the waist he directed her over towards the couch and gently forced her to sit.

He quickly took her untouched teacup which lie on the table, his calm face reflecting in it until he picked it up and brought it up to the girl's pale lips. She drank it unsteadily, pushing his hand away when she had had enough.

Mai sat next to Masako, throwing her arm over her shoulder in a comforting manner (but which didn't seem to help at all). "Maybe the sickness is spreading?" she said thoughtfully, giving her friend's shoulder light squeeze. Both Lin and Masako glance at Mai with frowns. The girls shrugged, not knowing what she had done to earn such faces from them, especially from Lin.

The medium sighed, "Another spirit, I meant…Ever since the day after we arrived, multiple spirits started making their presences known." Masako frowned as she received strange looks from Mai and Lin. "What? I didn't tell you?"

The Chinese man frowned and stood, walking back over to his chair.

"Where are they, Masako?" Mai inquired, slightly befuddled, "In the house, I mean…"

"Different places. A few in the kitchen, others are in the art room, but most are in the attic," she answered, recovering quickly from her small attack.

"In the attic, huh?"

Masako's eyes narrowed as Mai leaned her head back against the couch in a thinking position. "But it's not like you could do anything about it, Mai. You're practically useless in all of our cases, just a target that leads the spirits our way. That's all," she stifled a smirk behind the sleeve of her sleeping kimono (she knew full well it was improper, but like hell she was going to change _back_ into a kimono).

"Whoa," Mai said in defense, her hands flying up as if to protect herself from the medium's harmful words, "I don't see you being any more helpful than me!"

"Well, Mai it's about time you open your eyes, then."

"Why, you–!"

Masako dodged a pillow that was advancing fast. It flew past her, landing quite roughly on the wall behind her. Clenching her teeth with distaste, she grabbed a pillow of her own and lifted it above her head, ready to strike. Mai prepared herself as well, her arms forming an 'x' in front of her, shielding her face from the medium's brutal attack.

Lin sighed.

If only Naru were here, he'd surely bitch slap the two so that they might regain some common sense…Well, Masako might, at least.

-

Was it good? Don't lie, now.

Anyway, I'm sure everyone's favorite narcissistic Naru is going to show up again in the next chapter. I wonder where he's been hiding. Not really, but I'm sure all of you do. Please try to bear with any grammatic errors. It happens sometimes...

Next chapter should come soon! Wait patiently for me!


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 8**_

_**-**_

(4:56 PM)

Mai stifled a cough behind her hand as she reached for a tissue to wipe her runny nose. Getting sick did not come easily for Mai; she had a tough immune system, so when she woke up feverish you had to imagine her surprise. Especially getting sick like this on a case… Boy, did it suck to be her at the moment.

She glanced at the small corner of Lin's laptop screen, straining to see what time it was with sleep deprived eyes. Of course, Lin was flawless with his continuous typing. He seemed never to stop in his perfect stride–and at four in the morning. Were the Chinese breeding super-humans or something? To Mai, the strange onmyoji was the most confusing anomaly she had ever laid her eyes on. Plus he was hot.

You could say Mai had a thing for the tall stoic type. But it's not as though she'd never tell _him_ that. Their relationship was as discomfited as could be already.

Ayako sat in the far corner, sound asleep on her chair in a quite uncomfortable position. The miko's shift was almost over, though it's not like anyone else would be willing get up at such an unreasonable hour and keep watch over her. Just as that thought ran through Mai's head, the door to the base creaked open, gaining both her and Lin's attention. The glanced over to see Bou-san in a pair of loose jean and a T-shirt. They were wrinkled and tussled as if he had been half asleep while putting them on…literally.

He stood in the doorway yawning and rubbing his eyes, his hair pulled lazily into a half pony-tail. "Hey, do you want me to take over?" his inquiry was unheard by the sleeping miko.

Mai laughed. "She's been a zombie since her shift started."

Lin turned back to his laptop, feeling that he played an insignificant part in their conversation.

With listless motions, the monk reached over and shook the red-head's shoulder in a failed attempt to wake her up. This only resulted in a tired moan from said woman who continued to swat his hand away. After mumbling something incomprehensible, Ayako shifted in her sleep and managed to successfully situate herself into a better position.

"Geez," Bou-san said accompanied by a frustrated sigh. "I'll put her to bed, okay?"

Mai watched with amusement and surprise as he slid his arms underneath the priestess and lifted her effortlessly. Without the woman's support, her head lolled to the side and rested against his chest, causing an anxious look from the monk. Her red hair, which framed her peaceful features, was close enough for Bou-san to smell. He blushed as the scent of coconut invaded his senses. And with one last, embarrassed glance he stalked out of the base, Ayako in hand.

Mai giggled and whispered to Lin once they were gone, "Wasn't that cute?"

The onmyoji turned towards his co-worker with a frown evident on his distressed face. The love life of the people he worked with was really none of his business, and nothing he wanted to get involved with.

Rolling he eyes, Mai gave up. "Oh, yeah, Lin! I was wondering if I could go investigate the attic. I don't have a good feeling about that place," she started, folding her hands together in a hopeful manner. But when Lin shot her that 'not-gonna-happen' face, her expression fell, as well as her arms.

"Oh, come on! Just because Naru's not here doesn't mean you have to replace him."

Lin glared at her almost as if to prove her point. "Mai, I don't think it would be a good idea. What if something happens and we aren't able to stop it? Naru wouldn't be happy when he figures out."

Mai laughed at the mention of her boss's name. "Naru, shmaru. What he doesn't know can't hurt him."

"Can't hurt who?" Bou-san entered with a confused expression. Suddenly, a feeling of suspicion hitting him, the monk rested his hands on his hips in a know-it-all manner. He nodded his head slowly. "I get it. You're planning to do something very reckless and stupid since Naru's not here thinking 'what Naru doesn't know can't hurt him', right?"

Mai's eyes narrowed.

Bou-san shook his head, and said knowingly, "Forget it, Taniyama. No matter what you do, Naru has ways of figuring out, and I bet once he's un-possessed, he'll be on you like a pack of rabid dogs who–"

"Well, are we going to solve this case or not? I have a feeling that the key is in the attic, so can't we please, just get on with it?" Mai said, running a hand through her knotted, brown hair.

Lin refrained from his typing, turning around with a serious face. "Actually, I've noticed that most of the activity occurs in the basement. How did you know?"

Pursing her lips, she paused with her reply. "You, know," she said, moving her hands in strange patterns, hoping that they would, by some miracle, understand, "weird dreams and all. I just know this stuff. Anyway, what kind activity?"

"Yesterday around the time when you and Tetsuya were locked in the kitchen, things in the attic started moving around and falling over. The camera even looks like it's shaking. Compared to that, none of the other rooms have experienced much. By the way, Mai, I want you to look at something," Lin said slowly, averting his attention back to his laptop. After a few clicks, he brought up a web page with multiple pictures of different girls, all who looked very similar in some way. Mai's eyes widened as she inspected each of them very closely.

"All of these girls have short, brown hair. Don't tell me…these are all of that serial killer's victims, aren't they? Is that why he's after me? Because I fit his 'requirements'?" Mai inquired, her voice laced in disgust and malice. Her fist clenched angrily as she looked away. "And now he has Naru…"

"You're right. He only goes after girls ages 9–17. Here, do you recognize her?" Lin asked, pointing to the photo of a smiling girl around his co-worker's age. "Her name is Emi–Emi Hirase."

After suffering moments of dreadful silence, Mai wiped her chocolate colored eyes of any tears that threatened to fall. This was the girl from her dream. The poor, innocent girl that was raped and murdered without a second thought by _him_. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "I don't recognize this girl. All I remember is the image of her mangled, blood-stained body."

Bou-san shuddered upon her words, wrapping his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to console her.

"Mai, I'm sure everything will turn out alright."

-

(7:39 AM)

"Are you sure you're up for this? What about your fever? If you faint–!"

"I won't faint, Bou-san, I promise! Besides I have you two protecting me," Mai replied before the monk could even finish. She made a quick glance at Lin, who, to her, seemed the slightest bit nervous. The onmyoji looked back at her with a glare. He had told her time and time again that it wasn't a good idea to be doing this without Naru, but she'd just laugh and pat his shoulder playfully.

Bou-san sighed, pulling down the stairs to the attic (making sure his traditional robes didn't get caught on it). "Ready…?"

Mai clicked on her walky-talky with a nod. "Okay, guys we're going in."

The buzz of static was heard before the sound of Ayako's short-tempered tone echoing throughout the hallway. "We can see you on the camera, Mai. You don't have to tell us."

"I know," the brown-haired girl smiled, "I just like using this thing. Anyway, remember: watch for activity in the kitchen and art room."

Ayako sighed from the other side, whether it was due to lack of sleep of frustration, they didn't know. "I know, I know. You've only made that painfully clear for the last ten minutes. Literally…"

"Ladies first," Bou-san started courteously, bowing as if she were a princess. Mai mentally thanked herself for wearing shorts instead of a skirt. She wouldn't be able to stand a repeat of Lin seeing her panties like he had in the Doll House case. The thought of it made her flush crimson.

Rather than stuttering a reply, she simply climbed her way up into the dusty attic. She had never been, although she had seen in all the time on the monitors in the base. Bou-san and Lin followed behind her.

It was neater than what Mai had expected (despite the dusty furniture and random, misplaced belongings). Lin did mention that during the time she had been attacked, the visual feed had shown things falling over and the camera had even looked like it was shaking. But, from what she could tell, nothing looked out of place. Even the recorder was exactly how Bou-san had sworn he had left it.

But there was something odd inside the place that made Mai shiver, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"I see, so it's like this…" the monk mumbled to himself, "Okay, then. I'll start."

Mai and Lin backed up to give him the space he needed as he began to chant what he usually did.

"Naumaku Sanmanda Bazaradan Kan! On Kirikiribazara Bajirihoramandamanda On Sarasarabazara Harakya Unhatta! On Ami–"

The attic seemed to quake beneath them, startling not only Mai, but Lin as well. Bou-san faltered, but only for a moment. He wouldn't let such a miniscule tremor be his downfall. His chanting became louder as the shaking started again. The drawers of empty shelves opened and closed shut as the small window, and only source of light in the grimy attic, began to rattle, threatening to shatter. Knocking sounds started reverberating against the walls.

Then there was the loud thud of wood against wood and a strange cracking noise that followed.

The shaking stopped along with Bou-san's chanting. They all glanced around in confusion, looking for the source of the weird sound, but their search was interrupted by the buzz of Mai's handy walky-talky. "Hey, you guys okay? The camera started shaking, but we didn't feel anything. Is anyone hurt?"

The other two continued to investigate as Bou-san replied all of the miko's annoying questions. Mai turned around her eyes open in case she might find anything, and sure enough, she stood up straight, gasping at what she had found. A beautiful painting had fallen from a canvas in the midst of the 'earthquake', its wooden frame splitting in the process. It was about the only thing that reflected any color in the dull attic room.

"What is it, Mai?" the monk inquired, coughing as he waved the dust away.

"This painting fell. I think we might have broken–Oh my god!" she said in shock, backing away from it. "This woman, she was the first picture, Tansho Takamori's first victim."

Kneeling down to inspect the picture, Lin nodded. "This is, indeed, his first victim. Her name was Aki Takamori, I think."

"They have the name last name? Are they related, then?" the monk behind them had to stand on his tippy-toes to see the painting once Lin had stood up.

"No, but I think they were married almost a month before he…" Lin trailed off, leaving them hanging. Mai flinched at the Chinese man's words, continuing to stare down at the large picture with aversion. She sighed, squeezing past the monk behind her.

"I think this might have something to do with this haunting. But right now, I'm feeling a little woozy and my body is aching like hell. I want to go back to the base…" She held a hand to her throbbing head as if to prove her point to them. Bou-san nodded, helping her walk carefully down the stairs and all the way through the hallway until they reached the base.

Once successfully in their haven, Bou-san stroked her hair in a brotherly way, hugging her to his chest. "Are you feeling a little bit better?" he whispered the question as if not to startle her like she were some injured animal. But Mai didn't reply. Instead she kept her grip tight on his shirt and her head down.

Lin sat comfortably in his chair, while Ayako stared at the two in worry. She hoped Mai was alright, so did Masako apparently, because she went off to make tea in hopes to comfort the light-headed girl.

This comforting thought, however, did not seem to comfort Mai in the slightest. "Uh," she moaned, covering her mouth, "I'm going to…I'm going to throw up!"

His eyes widening, Bou-san looked around nervously, hoping to god she wouldn't puke on him of all people. Ayako barely concealed a laugh at his expression.

Taking Mai into his arms, John hurried out of the room, much to their surprise (Lin hadn't even turned around in concern). His strides were so long and fast, Mai had quite a troubling time keeping up with him, but somehow, managed. Once they had pushed their way through the bathroom door together, the priest brought her to the toilet, letting her drop to the floor. She sat for a moment, though, trying to force the bile that climbed its way through her system back down. During this time, Bou-san, who had followed quickly behind them, took a small rubber band from his wrist, pulling up the girl's hair into a make-shift ponytail.

They waited patiently as Mai curled over the bowl of the toilet, emptying herself of all of the contents she had eaten in the past few hours. John patted her back, asking her if she was okay. But the only response she could manage was, "Cup of water. Now."

"C–Cup of water! Okay!" Bou-san stuttered, sprinting out of the bathroom like no tomorrow.

As if her day couldn't have gotten worse.

-

Mai was sick for the rest of the day, so in other words, the team was focused mainly helping her get to the bathroom whenever needed and getting her water every other hour. Fujisaki, who was worried about his son, sent him back over to a friend's house for the night in hopes that he wouldn't catch whatever Mai had. Things were already hectic enough with Naru gone, etc., which, of course, they had also mentioned to their host.

So as far as Mai went, the only places she was going anytime soon would be the bathroom and the couch. Lin, with his awesome detective skills, had researched and confirmed that she had norovirus, a virus obtained either from person-to-person transmission or through contaminated food. Mai must've caught it before the case, though, since symptoms take at least a day to appear.

These side effects, of course, were not pretty. They included nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, weakness, muscle aches, headaches, and a low-grade fever, all of which Mai was _sure_ she had experienced.

The few days of their stay had not been kind to her, to say the least.

Of course, due to this, nothing had progressed all day. But Ayako, her parents being in the medical profession and what-not, established that she had pretty much gotten up and over the hill. Nonetheless, she was sure if Naru were here, he'd be pissed off without a doubt. Lin had unconsciously agreed with her.

Speaking of whom, was currently sleeping soundly in bed. Mai sighed to herself in congratulations for managing such a complicated task, but did Naru really expect him not to sleep _at all_ on cases? Of course he had argued with her for a while, but she insisted that he rest, even if only for half an hour. Though after that said, he actually set a timer for 30 minutes, telling her it was too risky to have her up alone at night (they were all drop dead tired despite that it was only 10:09).

Taking this as her chance, she decided to head up to the attic to explore and figure out what the hell that painting had to do with anything.

Once she had effectively pulled down the stairs to the attic, she waited. Since the stairs were in the middle of the hallway, she was surprised that all of the creaking and squeaking noises they had made hadn't woken anyone up. Shrugging as no one barged out of their rooms to stop her, Mai pulled herself up into the musty confines of the filth-covered room, turning on her flashlight.

She made her way to the picture that Lin had propped up against a moth-eaten couch, crouching so that she could have a better look at its dusty surface. After inspecting it for at least ten minutes, Mai sighed. The only thing she could gain from this portrait was that the artist was Tansho Takamori, the woman's murderer.

She figured the only other thing she could do to gain information was to sleep, which she figured would not be an option until Lin woke back up. It would be plain creepy without someone keeping watch. Besides, Naru had a key. He could sneak in at any moment and they wouldn't even know it. Just think of what would happen if no one could wake up in time…

Mai pouted, upset that she was unable to go to sleep, amusing herself with turning on and off her flashlight for a few minutes until a sudden movement caught her attention from the other side of the attic. Surprise overtaking her, she shakily shone her light over in the direction from which it came, hoping to god it wasn't a bug, animal, or even worse…

Naru.

-

The ending was scary huh? I creep even myself out sometimes! Anyway, hopefully you've read the chapter. Reviews would be nice, as well.

See how Mai and Naru's encounter will turn out in the next chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 9**_

_**-**_

June 28  
Day 4 (12:37)

Mai shot up from her sitting position on the ground as fast as humanly possible.

There he was–the man she had been thinking about all day–standing right there in front of her with the smuggest expression on his face she had ever seen. Of course, she had expected him to show up sooner or later…but why did it have to be sooner? Why did he have to show up before they had hatched a plan to get him back to normal, without the vengeful spirit of a serial killer within him? _Why?_

Mai's lips tilted upwards in a nervous smile. "How did _you_ get up here? Not the same way I did, I'm guessing."

Naru's smirk only widened as he stepped closer, causing her to blanch and back further away from him. "Don't worry, dear. I didn't come to hurt you; I just wanted to see how you were holding up without your precious boss."

Seeing as how he avoided her question, Mai avoided his as well. "Why is it that I don't seem to believe you?" she inquired boldly, raising her arms in case Naru decided to fight back physically. She had never been struck by him (if he did, she would surely quit), but she had discovered his strength on other occasions, and the result was by no means pretty.

Instead of lashing out at her like Mai thought he would, Naru chuckled. "Don't get cocky with me, Mai. What do you think your teammates would say when they find you dead?"

Her cinnamon eyes widened at the idea of her dead body lying dismembered and bloody in a black, garbage bag at the middle of Tokyo Bay. She shook her head to rid herself of the awful thought. "Since you're _only _here to see how we're holding up without our boss, will you leave once you know we're doing just dandy on our own?"

He leered at Mai, circling her like a vulture about to devour its prey. Her contemplative gaze never left him as he did so, even if he did claim that he hadn't come for her.

Figuring since Naru hadn't answered her, and probably wouldn't any time soon, it was time that new questions were in order. She decided that choosing her words carefully was just a waste of time. It would do her little good if he pounced on her anyway. "Where have you been hiding all this time? Bou-san and Lin said they search everywhere for you." Now _that_ was something she really wanted to know the answer to.

Naru suddenly appeared before her and smiled, which only managed to further freak her out. He reached out to tap her lips innocently, nearly letting out a chuckle as she swatted at his hand in fear. "That's a secret, Mai!"

"Then tell me," she demanded angrily, "why you're standing before me when you could be easily caught by someone."

"Well, that's obvious, Mai," Naru said as he rolled his eyes in a very un-Naru-like manner. "Why else would you be able to come up here all by yourself? I'm sure none of your friends would allow that, now would they? It's obvious that they're asleep. I know that that _man_ talked to you in your sleep so I knew you'd try to find some time to come here alone. I thought, why not. It was a perfect chance to have you all to myself."

If these words had escaped Naru's lips at any other moment, Mai was sure she'd have melted into a puddle of goo, but now was not that time.

Wait! How had he known that she'd seen Naru in her sleep? Maybe there was some sort of way that he had been invading her dreams? Did that mean Naru invaded as well? She mentally fumed at her possessed boss, ready to smack him straight into next week. Unfortunately, he was stronger than she would've ever imagined, a serial killer, of all people, having taken control of his body.

Mai stood in a stance, one that she had begged Lin to teach her, her fist rapidly speeding through the air and straight towards Naru's perfectly placid face. Before she knew it, however, her fist was caught in her boss's iron grip, and all thought of escape had been abruptly flushed down the toilet.

They stood still for a while, neck-and-neck in an arm wrestle. Mai struggled against his hold, while Naru didn't seem to be having any trouble. She knew he was holding back on her and that he could pin her at any time, which would be perfectly fine with her if Naru normal, but since he wasn't...

Mai hissed in pain as she was suddenly forced onto the ground, her elbow coming in contact with the creaky floorboards especially hard. She became frantic as her right arm grew limp and unable to support itself. When Naru came to his senses, he'd be so pissed if she had a fracture or anything remotely close.

She remembered one of their cases when he had found a bruise on her leg and freaked. To relive that moment would be like hell.

"S–Stop it…!" Mai started fearfully as Naru climbed on top of her, forcing her legs apart with his knee. But she was too preoccupied fending him from her lips with only one usable arm to care about her lower half.

She contained a moan of pleasure as his hand began to slip under her shirt, reaching up to unclasp her pink laced bra. This made him smile in triumph; he was having much better progress compared to last time, but he didn't get a great deal farther as Mai started to become more restless, trashing with all the strength she had left in her.

"Calm down," he whispered in an attempt to silence her. "Just imagine me as the real thing, okay?"

Tears began to well in her eyes. "You're not Naru. Naru would never do something like this. Naru…Naru…!" After those words were said, Mai became nothing more than a trembling mess. Her small body wracked beneath him with sobs flowing from her lips like an endless chain.

Naru frowned, grabbing her hard by the face. "Suck it up."

Mai whimpered at the sudden change in his voice. He wasn't as rough as last time, but it still scared her to think of Naru actually acting in such a way. This only made her reflect more about how they would see each other after the case was over. What if they grew distant? How would she be able to handle it?

Then, Mai heard the most melodious sound she had taken notice of in quite a long time. Footsteps hurried down the hallway and up the rickety attic stairs, finally reaching the top.

Lin stood, panting at the top of the stairs, a random jacket hanging loosely from his arm.

She would've jumped for joy had Naru not been on top of her.

"L–Lin," she stuttered, surprised when the weight atop of her suddenly lifted. Naru stood, dusting off his pants as he stared down at Mai with a look of lust in his eyes. Maybe he would be back for more? She seemed stunned at the thought of hers, telling herself it wasn't like her, but after the guy you like had ravished you in ways you had never imagined, she found it pretty hard to contain herself (possessed or not).

Glaring at his boss, Lin swung his flashlight at him and watched him as he proceeded to back up, a growl, which was almost inaudible, escaping his frowning lips. "Mai, are you okay?" he inquired as he threw down her light blue zip up he had retrieved from her room earlier. She mumbled a teary 'yes' as her reply, hugging, with the one arm she had left, her knees to her chest in a way of soothing herself. It made her feel less naked in the presence of her boss, which seemed to help keep the waterworks from falling.

Naru pouted mockingly. "Aw, how sweet. I'm sure Naru would be upset that he couldn't do the same for you, Mai." A victory grin soon replaced his expression of annoyance as he managed to earn a scowl from Lin.

The way this man's moods swung so uncharacteristically, un-Naru-like…it bothered Mai to no end. When he began to brood, he'd keep at it for hours, even _days_, until he got what he wanted. It was his special way of coping; almost like a child's. But this Naru in front of her was not the real one. He was not her Naru. He didn't shun her if she refused to make him tea, nor did he glare at her until she accepted the fact that he would not say thank you.

This Naru was completely different.

Lin spread his legs and readied himself to punch. With this, he said to his boss in a low voice, "Don't make me do this, Naru. I don't want to hurt you." Mai nearly applaud at his braveness. She knew she'd never be able to lay a hand on Naru; never in a million years. She hoped, though, to catch him off guard one day. To see the shocked look on his face would make her day.

The thought almost made her giggle, until she remembered the situation at hand.

Before any words escaped her lips, Lin had already thrown the first blow. Naru ducked nimbly, taking a couple steps back and realized he was almost cornered against the wall. A sinking felling welled in Mai's stomach, however. She knew he would escape somehow. Serial killers can't afford not to be smart; he'd figure a way out.

It was then that Lin nearly tripped on the picture that lay forgotten against the old discarded couch. The time that the Chinese onmyoji spent recovering from his shock and moving it out of the way allowed Naru enough time to squeeze through the small window across the attic. He looked back for a moment and smirked at the two who sat, dumbfounded at his evident win.

"Don't worry, Mai. I promise I'll be back to quench your thirst."

By the time Lin had managed to stumble his way over towards the window, Naru had jumped carefully from the roof and onto the sturdy branch of a nearby tree, disappearing in the night.

"Dammit!" he whispered softly to himself, slamming his hand on the wall in anger. It was only every so often that the stoic co-worker had shown so much emotion, but the fact that the emotion he felt was anger slightly scared the small girl behind him. She had no idea how to deal with frustrated stoic men. Such things were simply not her talent.

"Lin," she started softly in an attempt to calm him down, "I'm so sorry, this was all my fault, I–"

"No, Mai," he interrupted with a sigh, "If I had stayed awake, none of this would've ever happened. This…is my fault…"

-

(God, were they close to doing it. Lin has bad timing, I guess.)

-

Mai took a tight hold of Lin's hand, grateful that he had offered to help her down. After Naru had vanished, leaving the two alone in the eerily silent attic, Mai had started trembling so bad that she could barely find the strength to move. "Thank you, Lin," she said to him, relieved.

He nodded at her show of appreciation, assisting her into the base and onto the couch. But instead of returning to his comfy swivel chair like she thought he would, Lin took a seat on top of the maple coffee table, looking her straight in the eye with a serious expression she had never received from him before. It was usually Naru who disciplined her after she had done something stupid and reckless.

"You do know that everything irresponsible you do will be reported to Naru when he is back to normal, right?" the onmyoji inquired, his voice uncertain. Mai found his concern for her cute, but ignored his comment. She didn't care if Naru found out; just as long as he went back to his usual self, something she had a feeling would not happen _unless_ she did super stupid and senseless things.

It was just a hunch, though.

Instead of answering him, she returned his stern look with one of her own. "Lin, I know I can't prove it right now, but…that painting has something to do with this haunting. I get strange vibes from it, you know?"

"Yes," he replied, forgetting his previous statement. "I've sent a few of my shiki to look after it."

Mai sighed, her mind being filled with happy thoughts. She looked at her co-worker with bright eyes and said to him, "You're amazing, Lin."

Lin, of course, didn't respond, but stood up and sat in front of his lap top instead. Although he had not thanked her for the flattering comment, it definitely made him feel better inside. He'd make sure to keep this moment a secret between the two of them, for if their boss found out, he'd surely have his head and sell his eyes on the black market.

"You should rest, Mai," he suggested, typing something into the Google search engine at the top right corner of the screen.

Just as Mai was about to object, Lin said in a rather stern voice, "The team will be notified of this incident in the morning. I suggest you get as much sleep as possible."

And with this, Mai plopped onto the couch and swiftly covered herself with her warm blanket. Neither of them exchanged words for the rest of the time Mai attempted to fall asleep. As Lin said, the more sleep the better. She knew just how her teammates would react, especially her brother and sister-like figures, Bou-san and Ayako.

Unfortunately for her, things would not turn out pretty.

Mai gazed out of the window above the couch, a feeling of regret surging throughout her veins. Watching her injured arm, she pulled the jacket tighter around her small frame. She was disappointed to find that no stars were visible between the swaying leaves of the tall trees that surrounded the art studio, but what would you expect from a town emitting so much light?

Earlier, when the moon was barely noticeable behind edge the building, Mai had been a happier person. Now the moon had moved in the slightest, out from her line of vision and behind the cool shillings that lined the roof above her.

'Just like Naru disappeared, so has the moon.'

-

A small frown appeared on his face as he rested against a tree in the back yard. After his hasty escape from the attic, he had started to feel weak; Naru was waking up from within him. He didn't have much time left to control the man's body. At this rate, he might not be able to fulfill his promise to that girl…Mai.

How entertaining.

He couldn't seem to decipher whether she had damn good or really bad luck. He had never found such an anomaly while he was alive. To him, she was a beautiful mystery. A sudden urge filled him; the urge to decapitate her to see what was inside. But now that Naru was starting to break free, would he ever get the chance?

No. He'd make sure to break her just like all of the other women he had.

He'd have her crumble beneath him like a wilting flower, and he'd enjoy it; the deed itself _and _having Naru remember the whole thing.

-

I hope I didn't make that too hasty. I wanted all of you to see what would happen, but I was away three days at a convention.

Guess who I saw?! Greg Ayres, Chris Ayers, and Vic Magnogna! The last day of the con was on Sunday, my sister's birthday, and she had been feeling bad ever since it had started, but the last thing we expected to happen was for our parents to find Chris and bring him up to our room so he could sing her happy birthday!

Afterwards, when our parents and Chris had gone down to the lobby to talk, we had to see two of our new friends off as they left the Hilton. Amusingly enough, we met with Greg Ayres in the empty hotel on his way down to the lobby to ask for a new card key because he had locked himself out of his room. We giggled at him.

Then when we got down, we met up with our parents who were still in rapt conversation with Chris in a crowd of other voice actors and famous people who had come, seeing off the two boys we had met during the con with smiles and hugs. Afterwards, Chris turned to Vic Magnogna, asking him if he would sing Amanda happy birthday, and so, the whole crowd joined in.

That was her Sweet Sixteen. Happy birthday Amanda!


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 10**_

_**-**_

Mai trembled lightly, making what she could of a smile when Masako wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders. She really hadn't gotten much sleep, though she tried as hard as possible. The poor sleep-deprived girl now looked like nothing more than a living corpse, and the fever that appeared to be breaking had suddenly spiked to its highest.

Ayako was busy making tea, just as Mai had asked, but still a bit flustered from remembering that Bou-san had carried her into her room. Clearing away other discarded porcelain cups, she set new ones down, taking the dirty ones into the kitchen to be cleaned. Whilst all of this was taking place, Bou-san was giving Mai the longest lecture of either of their lives. Lin looked at the clock on his laptop, sighing. It had started a few hours ago, and all of them were pretty damn sure it'd go on for a couple more. John attempted, very nicely in his kansai accent, to tell him that maybe it would be best for them to question her when she started feeling better, but this only fueled his rage towards his younger sister-like figure.

And so, approximately 12809 seconds later (yes, Lin counted out of boredom), after the monk was done properly addressing Mai, and said half-conscious girl had emptied her bladder _at least_ four times, it was finally silent in the base. They all took the time to appreciate the quiet, but as we all know, beauty is fleeting.

Fujisaki entered, coughing into his hand as if he were interrupting something sacred. "I'm bringing Tetsuya back. He…insisted."

Masako looked up from replacing the dampened wash cloth on her friend's forehead. She sighed as she made eye contact with the priest at her side. John smiled nervously, his hand landing on her shoulder, as if to comfort her. Surprised by his sudden actions, she shrugged away his concern (literally), and turned back towards the man in the doorway.

"I'm not sure it would be in his best interest to be near such a sick person, Fujisaki-san," Masako started, ignoring John's troubled expression.

"Yeah," Bou-san cut in, "What if Tetsuya gets sick?"

Mai sniffled and coughed from over on the couch, snuggling further into the covers as she listened to them talk.

"Tetsuya already knows that Mai is sick, but yet he insists he returns regardless of the risk of becoming ill. I can't keep him from this house, but if he becomes a nuisance, I will get him out of your hair. I sorry if this may inconvenience you. Well, until later tonight," he finished, bowing before he left the room.

Sighing, the miko sat upon the arm of the couch, brushing a stray strand of hair from out of Mai's face. "You don't think Naru–I mean…that serial killer will do anything to Tetsuya, do you?"

John also looked concerned for the boy. "I hope not," he said.

Suddenly, Mai remembered something important. "Hey," she said quietly, tugging on the miko's long, black sleeve, "Isn't Madoka-chan coming today?"

Smiling with delight, Ayako straightened herself, clapping her hands together. "Oh, I had totally forgotten," she said, excitement washing over her previously dark mood. Bou-san's head bobbed up and down as he agreed with the red-head. The thought had completely slipped from his mind.

"She should arrive later than expected, however. She was delayed…" Lin started, looking away from his computer screen to catch the team's disappointment.

Mai pouted, shifting over on her side so that she could snuggle into the back of the couch. Everyone knew she was the closest–besides Lin and Naru–to the pink-headed girl. After their first encounter, the two women had become a lot more sociable, exchanging phone numbers and email addresses. They hardly got to see each other, however, so whenever Madoka was around, the two would talk constantly (although they were fully aware of how this angered Naru). "I'm hungry," she mumbled to Masako, quickly changing the subject.

"I'm not a mind reader, Mai, you'll have to tell me what you want to eat," the medium huffed slightly, covering her mouth with her sleeve after she spoke in an attempt to hide the smirk that crossed her lips. Crossing her arms, Mai glowered at the doll-like girl. John interrupted hastily in fear that a fight might break out between the two.

"I'd make you something, but cooking isn't really one of my gifts from God."

Retracting her venomous claws, Mai smiled politely at the priest, waving away his concern for her.

Bou-san sighed as his stomach growled, "Now that you mention it, I _am_ rather hungry…"

With her face scrunched with disgust at the man at her side, Ayako slapped him upside the head, glaring at him as she did so. "Can't you contain yourself?"

"B–But…!"

"Well, I haven't eaten anything all day either, and it's starting to get to me," she said simply, rubbing her stomach. Bou-san stood up straight, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"Stupid woman! Don't hit me because I'm hungry and then say that–"

"Who are you calling a 'stupid woman'?!" Ayako inquired, practically shrieking, the long slender heel of her tall shoe slamming down on his foot. The monk hissed in pain, yelling profanities at said 'stupid woman'. The team watched in amusement as Bou-san was grabbed by the color of his shirt and pulled down to her eye level.

"T–Take-out it is," he said nervously, sighing in relief as her grip loosened.

-

Mai sighed, throwing herself upon the couch she had gotten so used to throughout the past four days. She winced a bit as her head came in contact with the hard arm.

After eating 'dinner' with everyone including Madoka and Tetsuya, she was literally exhausted. There, they had filled in everyone on what was happening. Even the small boy understood the severity of the situation. The good thing was that Masako told her that her fever was dropping quite considerably; she was still sick nonetheless.

Ayako yawned as she entered the base behind Bou-san and Masako, John and Madoka following quietly after her. Tetsuya latched onto the pink-haired woman's arm. Lin, who had ate his take-out while he was working, nearly choked at the sight

Mai almost grinned at the sight, but decided against it. Poor Lin was jealous over that player. How sweet…

"So, I know it's a little early for bedtime, but should we let Tetsuya sleep in his own room?" the monk asked, his question echoing throughout awkward room. "I know Naru has no interest in boys, but do you think he'll take him as a hostage or something?"

"Such things are unpredictable," Lin replied, uncaringly.

"In that case we should let him sleep in the base as well," Masako said as she tapped a perfectly filed nail to her chin. Considering, Ayako nodded, agreeing with her.

"True, but then where will Mai sleep?"

They sat for a while, silent, while they went over their situation mentally. Mai, always hating to be the one troubling everybody, raised her hand in the air. There was always (or most of the time, anyway) a simple and easy solution to every problem. "I'll just sleep in our room," she said, motioning to the girls.

"But, Fujisaki-san has already gone out of his way to give us an extra futon," Madoka started, "Where will you sleep, Mai? Possibly, you wouldn't be willing to…"

"Duh, it's called sleeping on the floor. You know I've gone camping before."

After rolling her eyes in quite an unnecessary fashion, Mai promptly snatched her blanket from the arm of the couch, throwing it over her shoulders.

Clenching the head phone that sat comfortably over his ear, Lin stood. "Mai…!"

He sighed as the door slammed shut. "At least take someone with you," he called after her, not bothering to follow, "problem child." Ayako, Bou-san, John, and Masako hung their heads in disapproval. Madoka, however, hid the smile that was almost succeeding in revealing itself.

Tetsuya, almost looking a little shy, opened the door slowly. Since it seemed like no one else was going to make a move, he'd better do so. He had been dying to talk to her anyway. And what was the whole deal with their boss-guy, Naru?

"Mai," he whispered as he stuck his head into her room.

"I'm going to find her," she said, "Sayuri, right? I'm going to find her no matter what it takes. I'm going to find your frien–"

"Shut up."

A sinking resonated throughout Tetsuya's being as Mai's words reached him. He didn't want to think about it. It hurt too much to think about it. A feeling of hatred filled him as those words left his mouth.

_Stop talking…don't talk about her!_

"Tetsuya–"

"She's dead. You know it. You _know_ she's dead. Stop trying to–" he bit his lip, unable to stop the tears that began falling. An uncontrollable feeling of loathing for the older woman coursed through his veins. He had never hated someone so much before.

"Shh," Mai cooed, smoothing the rumples in his shirt, not quite sure what to do. Seeing the salty rivers flowing down his cheeks made her want to cry as well. Maintaining a steady breathing pattern, she hugged the child to her, sighing as he slowly rested his chin onto her shoulder. He was like a pet that didn't want to trust his owner.

Her lip quivered. "Don't cry."

-

"Mai…Mai…!"

Mai opened her eyes to the concerned face of none other than Naru. Unable to conceal her shock, she squealed and held a hand to her chest, hoping he couldn't hear her obnoxiously loud heart beat. "W–What are you doing? I don't understand…"

Relief flooded throughout Gene. The poor girl had been through so much…what could his stupid brother possibly do to make her suffer even more?

"Don't worry, Mai. I'm not going to hurt you…" he said as he laid a comforting hand atop her head.

She sighed, nodding. "Naru…Where could you be hiding. We've been looking everywhere."

Unfortunately for her, Gene's mouth became sewn shut for the rest of their visit. Instead, he showed her a vision of the back yard, his face almost pained. He was afraid to show her, in fear she would go and do something stupid and reckless.

Mai frowned, confused. "Why are you showing me this?"

Gene nodded towards the small wooden door, which seemed like it was overgrown with weeds and recently opened. Mai's eyes widened. "It's so obvious! The bomb shelter!"

'_Too bad Naru's not here to see how smart Mai is when he's not around…'_

-

A full moon shone down on Mai as she entered the tranquil silence of the backyard, her eyes searching across the grassy field. She needed to find that bomb shelter, and fast. A horrible foreboding sense suddenly filled an empty gap within her, calling her to the side of the house where she found the dark entrance to the underground haven.

Mai shook her head. You couldn't really call such a tainted place a haven.

Her body froze, cold sweat rolling down her forehead as she waited for something horrible to pop out in scare her. It was already bad enough, she realized, as she approached the door, holding a hand over her mouth and nose to black out the awful smell emanating from the place.

Mai staggered back carefully, making sure not to trip as she started going through the many possibilities of what could possibly cause such a foul stench, but landed on one in particular; a rotting corpse. The thought made her gag and brought tears to her eyes, but she held them in. Perhaps she was wrong? Or maybe it was just the decomposing flesh of a small animal?

But for Mai, such a thing was too good to be true. She had been on enough investigations which involved dead bodies to know that she was 100% right. A salty tear slid across her ashen skin and down to her chin, dripping like a faucet that wouldn't turn off all the way. More followed.

A loud moan-like sob escaped Mai's quivering lips, shocking her. She covered her mouth, afraid she had blown her cover, only to breathe in the heavy, rancid odor that surrounded the shelter. Before she knew it, she was head first in the bushes, emptying the contents of take-out into their shadows. When she was done, she pulled herself up and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.

Mai considered her choices: she could either run and fetch Lin, or go in by herself. The first would result in a lock-down, being confined in her room for the rest of the case (Mai assumed this would happen even if Naru were present or not), and outcome of choice #2 would probably end up as…worse.

But this was definitely not time for thinking!

She brushed away any remaining concerns and opened the door to the bomb shelter with an air of confidence around her (she continued to hold her nose in fear of throwing up again). The place was a disaster, to say the least, discarded food containers and drained water bottles littering the floor. Blankets used on cold nights were strewn across the bed, while other furniture lay thrown onto the floor, etc.

Mai couldn't help but notice how it looked like someone had been living there. 'Of course,' she thought, mentally kicking herself for her denseness, 'since Naru didn't have a place to stay while he was possessed, he just camped out here.'

That was when, to Mai's dread, a black garbage bag in the corner caught her eye. From that, it was pretty safe to assume she had found the decaying remains of Tetsuya's friend, Sayuri Matsumura–the one that had made the poor boy so depressed in the last few days.

She covered her eyes, a feeling of dismay coursing throughout her shaking body. She knew she had seen nothing yet.

"Ah, so you've finally noticed how no one bothered to look in the bomb shelter?"

Mai let out a startled shriek as she turned around to face Naru, her hand reaching up to grab for her heart as if it might jump out of her chest, it was beating so hard. She stumbled back, careful not to trip.

"Naru, you…!"

"You sure do take your time, don't you…?" His eyes remained glued to her twisted face as he advanced. "I've been waiting."

-

I'm so sorry I haven't updated in such a long time! I've been so busy with school, three projects, homework assignments non-stop! I'm so sorry!!

You check this story everyday (not now, probably)?! I'm so happy, yet so surprised, and pleasantly surprised. I'm happy you guys are enjoying psychotic Naru. Isn't he just wonderful? I'm definitely not giving up this story. It's not ending anytime soon, so don't stop reading, okay?!

(By the way, forgive the retarded description of the bomb shelter. I don't know what one looks like. I live down south. We don't even have basements. Dig one foot deep and you get a hole full of water.)

Wish me luck with getting up the next chapter soon!


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 11**_

_**-**_

Madoka frowned as she was awoken by the shifting of covers. Soft footsteps drifted from the room and into the hallway, and even though the pink-haired girl was barely conscious, she was pretty sure the cause of said noise.

_Mai._

Sitting up slowly, she rubbed her eyes, pinching her cheeks to help wake herself up. What kind of strange ordeal was that girl getting herself into this time?

Starting out on all fours, Madoka managed to make her way into the hall (standing), looking for signs of her suspicious friend as she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort and warmth. Not only was the place super creepy at night with all of its squeaky doors and shifting floorboards, but it was so cold that anyone would think they were in the presence of a spirit.

And to make matters worse, the door leading towards outside was left wide open (nice way to point out your tracks, Mai, but then again it's not like she was _expecting_ someone to be following her). Why couldn't she wander somewhere _in_ the house where the ground was dry and mosquitoes didn't attack your bare skin every other minute?

On the very tips of her toes, Madoka snuck slowly out of the back door, making sure not to generate any noise that may alert Lin. He was very sensitive, that guy. He always knew when something was wrong.

After successfully sneaking out of the house, she creeped, back against the wall, until she reached the corner of the building. Mai stood at the side of the house, rigid in the night air, her face scrunched with a look of horror and defeat. Her eyes were glued to the ground and she was staring at something painfully sickening.

A body, maybe?

Madoka wrenched back, her heart pounding hard against her chest. She watched as Mai leaned down slowly, opening a small wooden door, a quivering hand held over her nose and mouth.

The bomb shelter! No way, how could they have possibly forgotten about it? That's where they had apparently forgotten to look. Madoka would have to remember to properly scold Lin and Bou-san when she got back.

She had it all figured out. That's where Naru was staying _and _where he hid that little boy Tetsuya's friend Sayuri (they gave her all the details).

Mai suddenly staggered back, astounded. She probably realized it as well. Tears ran down her cheeks, which seemed quite pale and pasty due to the full moon right above head. A moan escaped her lips, obviously surprising the both of them, and before Madoka could tell what was happening, Mai took a nose-dive into the bushes, emptying the contents in her stomach.

After a while of recovery, Mai bravely covered her nose once more, swinging the door to the bomb shelter open with an air of confidence surrounding her.

Madoka waited, but Mai's body remained stationary. She apparently wasn't ready to go in. She was _examining_.

Since _when_ did Mai take time to think about stuff? Then again, she'd have to be pretty stupid to fall into a trap like this. No one in their right mind would enter that place. What if Naru was in the bushes, ready to lock her inside or something?

Suddenly, Mai saw something; something dreadful. Her eyes widened dramatically, and now her whole body was trembling as if she ware in the arctic.

Sure enough, just before she was about to make her move and reveal herself, Naru arrived in Madoka's peripheral vision, sneaking up from behind Mai. He stopped once he was a foot away from her. 'Dammit…'

"Ah, so you've finally noticed how no one bothered to look in the bomb shelter?"

His challenging voice surprised Mai, who whirled around with a shriek, nearly stumbling back into the bomb shelter. "Naru, you…"

Madoka couldn't help but clench her fists, ignoring the sting of her sharp finger nails. Who could be so strong as to possess Naru and _actually _stay in his body for so long? Sure, he had been possessed by a god before, but that was a GOD. This was a normal human being, a psychotic serial murder/rapist, but nonetheless human.

How in the world…? Now she knew why Lin was so stumped over this case.

"You sure do take your time, don't you…? I've been waiting," he said as he stepped forwards.

Madoka jumped from her hiding spot behind the house, a gardening shovel shaking in her hand. "Don't touch her, Naru! If you do, I'll…I'll hit you upside the head with this trowel and then tell your parents that you attempted to rape your assistant!"

"Madoka, what are you…? What are you doing? He's possessed, go get Lin!" Mai exclaimed with worry for her friend who seemed to be shaking in her boots. What if Naru tried something?

She looked up at said man, examining his face scrunched with anger. He glared at the pink-haired woman in her pajamas, clearly unable to recognize her.

"No, Mai!" Madoka said, raising the shovel higher.

"Who are you?" Naru inquired, his eyes narrowing further. He wrapped his arm around Mai's waist before she could escape.

"Stay away from her–!" Madoka stepped forwards, only to be suddenly pushed back. Before she knew it, she was standing behind Lin's protective frame, his tall shadow shielding her from the full moon. He gripped the flashlight in his hand almost painfully, shining it at the two in front of them.

Mai looked away from Lin's accusing gaze, embarrassed with how her boss's hand ran almost soothingly across her stomach, and even more so how she couldn't push him away. Literally. Mai's hands tugged at his arm, her nails digging into his skin, nearly breaking it (he'd bitch at her for that later), but the girl still couldn't break free. Was this the extent of his strength? Was normal, non-possessed Naru this strong?

"Madoka–" Lin started, his voice laced with a strange emotion Mai didn't recognize him ever using.

"I know, full report later."

"~Mai," Naru pouted, leaning down to smell her hair, "Why'd you have to invite your stupid friends?"

Mai pushed on his chest as hard as she could. She frowned, glaring over towards the two who stood, completely immobile. "What are you just standing there for?"

A chuckle emanated from his throat, tickling her soft skin. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her eyes widened considerably. She turned away from him with a shiver.

"Any suggestions?" Madoka asked sarcastically from behind a protective Lin.

"We could try to coax Naru out of him…but then again, he can't really do anything now that we're here," the tall Chinese man said, then regretting his words.

Naru's eyebrows rose competitively. A smirk slowly spread across his face as he turned back to his victim. "Just watch me," he challenged as his hand found its way to the back of Mai's head, pulling his brunette assistant in for a kiss (poor girl didn't even have time to breathe).

Running his fingers through her hair, he leaned into her, his other hand finding its way up her shirt.

With her eyes shut tight in fear that she might cry, Mai pulled away as quick as possible, wiping her mouth to rid her lips of access spit. She looked away, embarrassed and scared, but somehow the kiss they had just shared seemed different from others.

Madoka blushed, her eyes widening. It was so strange seeing Naru so intimate with someone, even if he was possessed…

Naru looked at Mai with an exhausted expression, his eyes suddenly alive again. He gripped his forehead as if he were in pain, stumbling forwards as he did so, and rested his head on Mai's shoulder. His hot breath warmed her skin.

"N–Naru? Naru, are you oka–?!" She fell back, unable to hold up his weight, her boss lying on top of her, unconscious.

Lin and Madoka ran up to them and helped Naru to stand, supporting him with a shoulder each, and dragging him inside towards the base with Mai following. Madoka gently prodded Tetsuya awake, telling him that he could go sleep in his own room (which he did with pleasure). They dropped Naru onto the couch, removing his shoes and undoing the first few buttons of his shirt.

Lin pulled up a chair and sat with his arms crossed, motioning to the other seats spread out around the coffee table. "Sit and tell me what was going through your minds when you two decided to go outside alone, with nothing but a gardening shovel for protection," he said, all seriousness in his voice. His eyebrows raised condescendingly much like Naru might have done if he were in the same situation.

Mai sat and stared at her lap, embarrassed by his gaze. "I had a dream that made me realize Naru was hiding in the bomb shelter so I went to check and…but I didn't go with Madoka. She must've come out after me…"

Madoka spoke up proudly, "I woke up right after she left the room. I knew Mai was going to get into trouble, so I followed her. And when I saw Naru, I grabbed the trowel from the ground and–"

"What the hell were you two thinking?!" Lin's voice rose a level neither Mai nor Madoka had ever heard. Man, was he pissed. Madoka whimpered in a childish manner causing Mai to do the same. Anything that could make _her _cower was worthy of fear.

Sighing, the onmyoji stood, grabbing his cell phone from the table. "I have some calls to make. Wake up John-san and Takigawa-san. I want them to supervise Naru."

And with those words, he left the room, the door slamming behind him loudly.

Madoka and Mai glanced at each other, their faces screwed with a look of panic. "I think we made him a little mad…?" the pink-haired girl started, her voice shaking.

"Yeah," Mai said, nodding along. "A–Anyway, you heard Lin. We should wake them up."

-

Bou-san sighed, rubbing his temples to rid himself of the awful headache from all of the accumulated stress. "Mai, I…I can't believe you. After everything that's happened…I just…What were you thinking? Walking outside, alone, knowing that you are being targeted by a…a serial rapist possessing your boss…"

"No use crying over spilt milk," Mai shrugged.

Bou-san's mouth was left agape at her careless response.

Mai rolled her eyes. "The important thing is that we found him, right? And now that that's over, our next trip is back to the attic. I think the spirit of our so called 'serial rapist' is residing inside that painting. You know, the one of…Aki Takamori."

"Yeah, well if Naru were conscious right now, the only place other than this room that you'd be going is to the bathroom," Bou-san said, leaning back in his chair.

"So what? I'm so tired of being looked down on!" Mai jumped up, clearly outraged. John awoke, shooting up from his chair, half asleep and clearly surprised by her outburst.

"The only reason you haven't been killed yet is because Lin has impeccably good timing," the monk countered, avoiding her point.

Looking back and forth in between the two, Madoka sighed. Everyone was currently in the dumps, so what could she do? Lin was still busy dealing with the police and detectives who were removing Sayuri's decayed body from the bomb shelter, Fujisaki had returned, and even Sayuri's sobbing parent's had shown up.

There was really nothing for them to do…

Their attention was now focused on Naru, who let a soft moan escape his barely parted lips. His eyes opened slowly.

Mai's heart stopped momentarily as her boss's azure orbs met her own, suddenly leaping into her throat at the sincerity in his eyes. Before she realized what she was doing, Mai had reached for his hand, holding it tightly.

"You're finally awake."

The crowd behind them sat for a moment, holding their breath. Even John was now fully awake, his eyes widening by the second.

"Mai," Naru started slowly, his scratchy voice making her feel more comforted than she had ever been during the entire case. Just for a second his hand enclosed hers, squeezing it in a calming way.

He sat up, rubbing his head. "How long have I been out?"

"An hour maybe…?" Bou-san said, still stunned.

"Listen, Naru…Can I ask you a question?" Mai inquired shyly, grabbing onto his sleeve. Six eyebrows were raised. To think, Mai had been so fiery just moments ago, and now she was acting so timid.

"Where's Lin?"

Madoka nearly screamed at the increased amount of her former student's audacity. To completely _ignore_ his assistant, who had been trying so hard to return him to normal? What had gotten into him all of the sudden? Well, then again, he might not know that. What if he didn't remember anything?

Then it came to the devious pink-haired woman.

He _did_ remember…and that's why he was so bent on avoiding Mai. Deep down he must be flushed crimson with the thought of his cute little assistant! But why did he insist on being so cold? Didn't he know how worried they (especially Mai, for that matter) had been?

The tension in the air was so thick, that not even a knife could cut through.

"Okay, everybody leave. I need to have a talk with Naru," Madoka demanded, shooing everyone out of the room. Mai seemed the most reluctant to leave. "It'll be quick. I just need to have a speedy mentor to student chat."

The girl nodded, lingering a while in the threshold before Bou-san pulled her along, closing the door behind them.

"They're dealing with the body?" Naru inquired, his eyes cast downwards.

"Yes, but more importantly…" Madoka turned on her heel, her hands glued to her hips in quite a severe manner (Naru found it hard to take her serious while she was still clad in her ducky pajamas, though). "I know what you're doing, and you're not doing a very good job of it."

"Doing a very good job of wha–?"

"Don't play innocent!" she exclaimed. Naru's brow furrowed with frustration as she interrupted him. "I know you can remember everything that happened. I also know you feel guilty and you regret what you've done, but ignoring Mai is not the way to deal with your aggravation. You can't avoid her forever."

Naru's paused.

Madoka was right. He couldn't just avoid Mai for the rest of his life.

"Now I suggest you go and apologize to Mai, _and_ to everyone else, for that matter!"

"Get out," Naru demanded bluntly, glaring.

Sighing, Madoka left the room and closed the door behind her, leaning back against it.

"Maybe I pushed a little too far?"

-

With tea in one hand and Tylenol clenched tightly in the other, Mai nudged the door to the base open, a recently awoken Ayako and Masako following shortly behind her. "Here Lin," she said softly, handing him the medicine, "I'm so sorry for getting you sick!"

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Mai. We knew at least one of us would get sick," Bou-san reassured, just happy it wasn't him. He had a concert at a really popular club coming up, and he just wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let the band down.

Ayako rolled her tired eyes as she plopped in between the monk and John. "_Yeah, right_…But you know, I thought the most likely candidate would be Naru. I wonder why Lin's the one that's sick. Do you think they swapped spit as well…?"

Mai's eyeballs nearly popped from their sockets due to the increased blood suddenly rushing to her head. Looking up from his laptop, the Chinese man sighed (he'd never get his work done). "Ayako!" Mai whispered harshly, hoping Naru wasn't paying attention to them. What if he thought they were together or something?!

"You're right. If anyone, I'd guess Naru," Masako nodded, rubbing a weary eye.

Naru twitched, his ears involuntarily perking up to the conversation about his two assistants. What _possibly_ could have happened while he was gone? And 'swapping spit'? What a crude way to put it. Besides, Mai would never kiss anyone other than him. She liked him, right?

And Lin would never dare…!

Naru closed his strained eyes, preventing them from reading the same sentence for the fifth time. Just imagining what he would have to go through if Lin hadn't printed him out a summary of what had happened during the case so far made his head throb.

So far in the report, Mai had barely escaped being molested by him multiple times. Just the thought of himself on top of her, his hands traveling across her milk skin…And he had gotten so close before he had passed out earlier on.

No!

He could and should not be thinking of his assistant in such a manner. What would his parents say? Besides, he was in Japan for a reason and he wouldn't let her distract him.

"By the way," Ayako started, cocking her head in a questioning manner, "I thought you two said you checked the bomb shelter when you went looking for Naru?"

Bou-san slapped his cheek lightly as her suddenly realized. "Yeah, we did. But I don't remember finding anything. It was dusty, abandoned."

"Then he must've left it somewhere else before bringing it to the bomb shelter. Maybe he thought we'd find the body?" Mai inquired.

Ayako's eyes widened. She looked over towards Mai, slapping her leg in an 'I'm so proud of you' way. The brunette looked at her strangely, rubbing the spot she had hit. "You know, Mai," she started, "You're getting smarter and smarter every day."

"You may be right about that Matsuzaki-san." Everyone looked over to Naru, who now stood up with the report he was reading in his hands, a scowl spread wide across his face.

With clenched teeth, Mai said, "And yet you say that with a frown on your face."

"I know where he kept the body before possessing me. But before that…John, Takigawa. I need you two to get ready for exorcisms," Naru said, glancing up from his file. His eyes narrowed as the two only paused from drinking their tea with absent-minded looks on their faces.

"Now?" he suggested sarcastically.

-

Mai watched nervously as Naru inspected the wall from which the picture of Aki Takamori had fallen when they first decided on an exorcism in the attic. Bou-san and John helped their boss push a huge box out of the way.

What on earth were they doing?

Her mental question was soon answered as Naru knocked on the wall three times, a hallow sound echoing throughout the attic. He felt around for a chip in the wood he could use to pull the small door open. Mai was surprised to see just a shallow room, nearly big enough to fit a grown man. A body would definitely be able to fit in there. It even smelled like the horrid odor coming from the bomb shelter, except somewhat less unpleasant. And to top it all off, there were traces of dried blood smeared across the small walls.

Mai refrained herself from hiding behind Naru.

He closed it slowly, turning back around towards the team. Bou-san's mouth hung open. "Wha–Aren't you going to tell the investigation team about this?"

"I think it would be safer to finish our exorcisms first and foremost. Who's going to start?" Without taking into consideration Bou-san's words, he stepped back, leaning against the creaky wall. "Start when you're ready."

(Ayako, Madoka, and Lin had opted not to be a part and to watch from the cameras in the base.)

"Are you sure they'll be alright, Naru?" she whispered, looking up at her boss with doubt. She was worried for the two. What if they got hurt? He raised an eyebrow at her worry.

"Why wouldn't they be?" he inquired. Bou-san and John were strong. He at least knew a few things about each of the after knowing them for so long. Folding his arms, he looked over towards his anxious assistant.

"Well, I mean…even a god can barely possess you. If this spirit can do that, then don't you think it might be dangerous for them? It was hard enough last time when you were possessed."

"I think Mai may be right," Masako started, "The presence of Takamori burns with more hatred than you know. He has manifested into something else, but not as powerful as the god in our previous case."

Naru sighed. Of course they would doubt him after he was possessed so easily. How could he let his guard down? He knew there was a risk, but he thought…No, it doesn't matter what he thought. The fact of the matter was that he let his team down.

"They'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."

Mai bit her lip in contemplation. "If you say so."

Mai glanced at her water-proof watch, taking a moment to decipher what time it read: 9:32 PM.

Hopefully these exorcisms would go well and this case would be over and done with by the time morning came. Mai didn't want to waste another moment in this place where so many bad memories remained. She could feel the sensation of hatred all around the home.

And so it was decided.

John would go first.

-

Sorry for being so late. School work has been all I can think about lately. I'm sorry for not giving you guys a heads up or anything, but I might not be able to update as much as I used to. I'm getting projects out the yin-yang.

I hoped I haven't ruined your dreams of Naru raping Mai. Believe me, it'll happen _one day_. Hopefully soon.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

:D


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 12**_

_**-**_

John recited his favorite bible verse as he traced the sign of the cross in the air with his thumb. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." His words echoed loudly throughout the dusty attic as he sprinkled Holy water upon the framed picture.

Mai sensed something coming. The heavy feeling in her gut wouldn't leave her alone. Naru tensed, she noticed, and soon after did the monk in front of her. Masako looked unwell. She wobbled a bit, but Bou-san wrapped his arm around her and let her lean against him just in case.

"He's coming," the medium said softly.

Not even seconds later the ground seemed to shudder beneath them, causing John to pause his incantations. He looked down, surprised, for this time it felt stronger than before.

"John-san," Naru said firmly over the shaking, "please, continue."

Only with slight hesitation and a nod of confirmation from the monk behind him did the priest dare go on.

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen–"

John was suddenly cut off by an earsplitting shriek, not made by any of them he was sure, but it had come from the wall in which they had first found the painting of Aki; the wall in which housed that secret body-storage closet and smelled of decay. Not only did the shaking get rougher, but the screaming became louder.

Mai fell to her knees, covering her ears to block out the shrill wails as best she could. Naru followed quickly to make sure she was alright.

Suddenly the noise stopped and the trembling ceased. Everything seemed almost as if it had before they had started the exorcism. Naru looked up in confusion, but his attention was soon drawn back to his shaking assistant

"Na–Naru, I…" Mai stuttered with teary eyes. A sob escaped her lips. "Why am I wet? Why do I smell so weird?"

He wondered slightly what was wrong until he placed his hand unto her shoulder, only to find it wet and sticky

Naru glanced up at the monk, "Do you have a flash light?"

"All I have is a lighter," Bou-san said, confused, fishing the small silver object from his pocket and tossing it to his boss.

"This will have to do," he murmured as he flipped it open, lighting it with only two tries. The small amount of light barely illuminated the whole attic, but it was enough to confirm the strange thick substance that covered her body. Masako gasped, fainting into the shocked priest behind her. Bou-san clenched his jaws shut.

A strained cry came from within Mai's chest as she looked down at her blood-drenched clothes.

The door to the attic suddenly slammed open and Lin and Ayako came to her side. They had probably seen her on the cameras, Naru assumed, still a little bit shocked himself.

"Can you stand?" inquired the tall onmyoji as he reached out for her hand. But Mai didn't move, or more like she couldn't, she was so petrified. Never on a case had she been doused in blood that, at least, wasn't her own. Or so she hoped it wasn't hers. And if it was, the pain must've been so unbearable that it was numbing her. It was either that, or the sheer terror that filled her.

Instead of waiting for her answer, Lin picked her up, ignoring the blood that soaked through his shirt.

"I'll wash her off and make sure she has no injuries," Ayako said, her medical skills kicking in at last. "I'm going to need some Ibuprofen as well."

The Chinese man nodded, proceeding down the stairs of the attic as quickly and as cautiously as possible, ensuring that she didn't bump her head or the like.

Madoka was at the bottom, her face screwed into a look of worry. She covered her mouth in shock seeing them continue down the steps, blood seeping from the small girl's clothes. "Is she hurt?" the woman questioned apprehensively, clenching tightly at her shirt collar.

Ayako hurried behind them. "We don't know," she started, then turning to the tall man she said, "Lin, I'll carry her to the bathroom. Please find me that Ibuprofen."

Taking Mai into her arms, the priestess nearly dragged her into the bathroom, setting the fragile girl into the tub. Lin knocked softly and entered with a glass of ice water and two pills. Madoka took them and placed them on the counter, watching as he closed the door behind him.

"Do you need some help?" the pink-haired woman inquired, itching for some way to be of assistance, but Ayako turned her down saying that she could take care of it by herself.

"Mai, I'm going to turn the shower head on so that I can wash you off, okay?" the red-headed miko said to the unresponsive girl, gently helping her sit correctly. After discarding Mai's slippers and socks, she pulled her sticky shirt over her head, exposing her blood-stained bra. She turned to Madoka. "I _might_ need a little help."

"What can I do?"

"We're going to need a lot of rags and _a lot_ of soap."

-

Naru sighed, massaging his temples. John was quietly tending to Masako, laying a cold washrag upon her forehead, as she lie unconscious on the couch while Lin went to go switch out shirts. Bou-san snoozed over in the corner, his arms folded across his chest.

All was quiet until the door squeaked open slowly, revealing Mai clad in pajamas and a long blanket draped around her shoulders. It dragged behind her as she entered. She looked back as she waited for Ayako and Madoka to follow.

"Mai," Naru started, standing up from his chair and offering it to his small assistant; a very un-Naru-like move. "Sit," he commanded.

Ayako raised an eyebrow, keeping her eyes on them as she sauntered over towards the sleeping monk. After elbowing him a couple of times and successfully waking him up, she pointed at the two, smiling.

Her face burning slightly with embarrassment, the brown-haired girl sat down gradually, her body still a little sore from all of the scrubbing they had none. "I overreacted earlier," Mai reasoned, coughing slightly.

"No," her boss said, stopping her. "I think many in your situation would've responded the same."

Madoka smiled proudly at her little prodigy.

"You're not hurt in any way, are you?" he inquired, nearly reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder, but stopped himself.

"The blood wasn't mine, so I'm fine." Mai smiled. "Despite how hard we scrubbed, I still smell a bit like it..."

After a moment of hesitation, Naru took a lock of her brown hair, inhaling deeply when he put it up to his nose. He looked up to see her face as crimson as the blood that previously stained her. "Really? I don't smell anything."

"Ah," was all the girl could reply with as her mouth hung open in shock.

John turned around, directing his attention back towards the sleeping medium in front of him with the slightest hint of red in his cheeks. He shouldn't be invading in their privacy, he told himself, though glancing back every once in a while.

Naru did not linger, however. He stood straight, facing the rest of the team with a fierce glare. "Back to work," he said, "Bou-san and Matsuzaki-san, both of you are up next. But we're done for tonight. Rest up, you two."

The priestess clicked her heel on the ground, her hands automatically fastening themselves to her hips in frustration. "I thought I wasn't going to exorcise?"

"Well, now you are," Naru countered, glancing at the woman with a raised eyebrow. "Do you, perhaps, have a problem with that?"

Blushing, the red-head fumed, gluing her arms at her side in fear that she might punch him.

The monk over in the corner covered his mouth to conceal a grin. "You got _serv_–OW!"

Ayako smiled smugly.

-

"Here," Mai said as she gently placed the cup of tea unto Naru's desk.

He nodded gratefully, flipping another page of his file. He didn't look up, but Mai knew his appreciation was sincere. She smiled and pulled up a chair, sitting next to him. Ever since their little '_incident' _in the attic, he had been strangely nicer towards her and hadn't given any work to her, but of course she insisted on being the one to make his tea.

"You should rest. Do I have to say it again to get it through your oddly thick skull?"

The brown-haired woman sighed. Although she was thoroughly enjoying her time watching everyone cater to her needs, it also bothered her somehow. To Mai, this special treatment proved how fragile they all thought she was which, in turn, bothered her to no end. "I'm fine, though…"

Naru looked up, a frown tugging at his lips. "What's wrong?" he inquired, closing the manila folder in his hands.

Mai looked up, finally snapping from her gloomy daze. "What do you mean?" she replied, though genuinely confused by his sudden question.

Her boss swiveled his chair around to face her, crossing his arms with a look of inquisition upon his face. After taking in her confused features, he ran a hand through his messy hair; a sign that signaled frustration.

He reasoned to her, "You've been sighing a lot lately. Is anything the matter?"

'_Besides the fact that you were drenched in blood nearly an hour ago and suffered traumatic shock…?_' Naru mentally added, nearly slapping himself for sounding so unintelligent. He clenched his jaw waiting for her to answer.

"It's fun having you treat me nice once in a while," she started, "but I don't want this special treatment any more. I'm fine now. Ayako talked to me and I feel much better, so…"

"I don't need you to lie to me, Mai."

She stood, protesting angrily, "But I'm not–"

Naru then slammed the file he had previously been reading onto his desk, raising up to loom over her and hopefully send the message that she could not win this battle. Mai jumped a little, surprised by his suddenness as she watched ripples travel throughout the fresh tea. "Does it look like I'm in the mood for an argument, Mai?" her boss questioned tightly, a scowl gracing his handsome features.

"Well, you're never in the mood–!"

The door clicked opened, cutting off the brunette abruptly. Lin stuck his head in cautiously. "Naru, it's time to call it a night."

Mai stared at the Chinese onmyoji, her eyes filled with resentment.

He raised an eyebrow. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything too…important?"

"No," Mai countered, blushing as red as Ayako's hair.

"Yes," Naru had said the same time as his assistant, glaring at her when she didn't agree with him.

With a knowing smile on his face, Lin nodded, taking his leave. After Lin had dismissed himself, Naru sighed. "I'll take you to your room. Everyone else should probably already be asleep."

Mai nodded, keeping her head down like she did when she was sad or upset. Impossible for Naru not to notice, he inhaled deeply attempting to ignore her. How could he possibly apologize for what he had not done wrong? He was just…slightly irritated. He hadn't even raised his voice! It's not like there was even a need to be upset. What was so wrong about caring for your assistant.

Naru stopped, causing Mai to pause in her stride. She looked back questioningly realizing they were already at her door.

"Oh," she murmured, embarrassed. "Well, good night, Na–"

Before she could finish her statement, her boss's lips landed on hers almost hungrily. Mai stared at him in dubious shock, but her eyes eventually closed as she decided to enjoy their proximity rather than question it.

Once he finally released her, Naru gave his assistant a peck on the forehead said his quiet goodnight, leaving the girl speechless. After he had retreated to his room, Mai sighed, sliding onto the floor. Her legs felt so much like noodles that she could no longer stand.

A small, stuttering voice at the end of the hallway caught her attention.

Tetsuya stood, his finger pointed at her accusingly as he tried his best to hide the red in his cheeks. "I knew it! You two are having an affair behind that Medium's back!"

"Y–Y–You saw such an intimate thing?!"

The child smiled deviously, his grin nearly reaching his ears.

"I saw you~" he sang playfully.

"B–Be quiet!" Mai whispered urgently, running towards him to cover his mouth. "You absolutely cannot say a word about this, understand? Masako would be furious! A–And I hardly even know what's going on between Naru and me, so…"

"Love triangle?" the boy questioned himself, forcing her sweaty palm away from his face.

Mai made a face. "No–Anyway, it's nothing for you to be concerned over."

"Oh, but it is," the small child said wisely, nodding to himself. "Remember my promise to help you win your boss over? Though it's almost as if your boss is already attracted to you–"

Mai glared. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Well, I–"

"Are you saying that there's no way that Naru would like me?" she whispered harshly, knowing that if she didn't keep her voice down she'd get some strange looks in the morning, especially from said boss.

He laughed nervously, 'Oh, boy…'

-

Mai was awoken that morning the sudden coldness of the wooden floor beneath her. After recovering from the large bump that soon formed on her forehead, she looked up at whoever had disturbed her sleep and glared at them with the fierceness that she had only used on Naru before.

Ayako glared back, sticking out her tongue as she rolled up the brunette's futon, sticking it in the closet of the guest room.

"What the hell as that for?" Mai exclaimed, rubbing her throbbing head.

The miko looked down at her exasperatedly, her hands finding her hips as she stood in her usual condescending manner. "Well, you wouldn't wake up no matter what any of us did, so I resorted to this. Plus, Naru has asked us to 'pick up'. We're leaving tonight."

The shock on Mai's face was not concealed. "But…why?"

The red-head shrugged nonchalantly, going back to packing her clothes.

-

"I thought you were smarter than that, Mai. Do you not know what 'leaving' means?" Naru inquired, slowly wrapping the cord around the plastic part of the charger that went with Lin's computer.

The girl shook her head in frustration. "You know what I mean, Naru!" she cried, her arms flailing around in the air as if they would get the point across. "_Why_ are we leaving? I mean, the case hasn't even…We aren't ready!"

"I thought Matsuzaki-san had informed you, but since you're so incompetent, I'll put it in simpler terms: we are solving the case tonight."

That was all the girl needed to hear to allow her to fall back into Lin's comfy chair. "What–? But how?"

After finally wrapping up Lin's pesky charger, Naru set it down on the desk, smiling smugly. Suddenly she remembered the way he had gotten so mad last night, but then gently pecked her forehead as if he was apologizing. Her face then flooding with red, Mai backed up cautiously, fully aware of her boss's predatory gaze.

"Wh–Whoa, Naru," she whispered. The pitch of her voice was raised in nervousness as she began to feel around so that she wouldn't embarrass herself by tumbling over backwards.

"Don't worry, Mai," Naru straightened himself, his once amused expression now changing into a look of all seriousness, "My only concern is with work right now."

Mai breathed a sigh of relief, holding a hand to her heart as if to still its rapid beating. This gesture, as always, failed to work, but at lease it made the brunette somewhat calmer than she had previously been. "You really shouldn't scare a girl like that, you know."

"Naru!"

The door suddenly slammed open, allowing Bou-san entrance into the room. He was barely even able to see the two surprised teens over the stack of cardboard boxes in his arms. "Why the hell is the second van locked? You said Ayako had the keys, but I can't find her anywhere," he complained.

"I believe that's a personal problem," their boss finished, without even the slightest offer of help to the monk. Mai, being the good Samaritan she is, ran over the man, taking a box off of the top of his load (with much trouble, of course).

"Hey, at least I'm _doing_ something, you–"

"Bou-san, didn't you check in the girl's bedroom? She was in there a minute ago," Mai suggested, her brown orbs innocent and troubled.

"The first place I looked. She was gone; the room was completely empty because John put all of the girl's bags in the van. The futons were put away too."

"Okay," Mai started, but suddenly seemed to be at a loss for air. "First of all, we should put down these boxes. Then we'll look for her." The monk nodded in agreement, gently setting the equipment on the couch.

"I'll look outside," she proposed. "You can look inside."

Naru narrowed his eyes for only a split moment, but then refocused on his work. His fingers ran over the file that lay closed upon the desk he currently stood next to. "Don't be long, and keep an eye open…"

At the tone of her boss's voice sounding like that of a protective mother, Mai turned to face his back, surprised. Bou-san shrugged and went on his search for the red-headed priestess while Mai lingered back in the base.

"Keep an eye open for what?"

But Naru didn't answer.

-

After at least five minutes of thorough searching, neither the monk nor Mai had found a trace of the young woman. To ease Mai's worry, both John and Madoka had joined in the search, but they still ended up with nothing. By this time, Mai had burst into tear no less than about two times already.

Masako had even rested the girl's head on her shoulder in a sisterly way, which surprised the onlookers. To the members of SPR it was a myth, their friendship. They'd often talk about it – how those two would get so catty over the most ridiculous things – and even Lin would join in sometimes. But now there was golden, solid proof and five astounded eye-witnesses.

But neither the sudden change of Masako's attitude nor the astonished looks of their peers would most likely to bring their red-headed miko back. This was the thought that only seemed to make Mai cry harder, her salty tears leaking their way through the layers of Masako's silk Kimono.

Naru finally stepped in, abruptly ending Mai's cry fest with a screeching halt.

"Do you want to find Ayako or not?"

The harsh tone in his tight voice was not the only aspect of his inquiry that had scared Mai, but it was the way he called Ayako by her first name, something they were all pretty sure had never happened before. Meaning Naru meant business.

Mai replied, her answer muffled by hiccupped sobs. "I want to find her," she said.

"Good," her boss then crossed his arms. "You're getting absolutely nowhere by weeping on Hara-san's shoulder. If you want to find her, I suggest you keep looking."

Bou-san seemed about to speak up and defend her, but Mai stopped him, realizing Naru was entirely right. "Okay," she sniffed obediently, lowering her head as she walked off into an unknown direction, somewhere behind a few bushes.

"There's actually quite a bit of unoccupied land back here. I'll search over in this direction."

There was a stiff silence among the rest as Mai began to investigate once more. It was too thick for even a butter knife, Naru mused, sighed. But he had done what needed to be done. If his assistant was no use crying, than he had no other choice, right?

As if reading his boss's mind, Lin (of all people) sighed in dissatisfaction. "There was always the option of comforting her, you know. A lamenting assistant is a useless one."

Naru gave him an odd look. "She stopped crying, didn't she?"

Madoka slapped her forehead, none to gentle, grabbing John and Bou-san to resume their search as well. Masako fallowed behind, grateful not to be mixed up in the situation.

"As far as physically goes, most likely. But you'd better apologize before the wound re-opens in her mental state of being."

Lin and his god damned riddles! The narcissist shrugged off the thought, staring off into a random direction and attempting to focus on something more case-related, but her image would not cease from appearing in his mind. Maybe Lin was right…

"I'll be right back," the black-haired man excused himself, not seeing the ghost of a smile that graced the Chinese man's lips.

-

OMG, so sorry for not updating in, like, a year! School is retarded and I wish all of my teachers died of tooth-decay so that I could throw them in a bay and scare all of the fish away. *Queue frownie-face*

But anyway, I have no clue as to why this holds any relevance to this story whatsoever, but I learned how to sing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes' in French yesterday! Isn't that just swell?

So yeah, I killed off Ayako. Any thoughts as to who I should murder next? Nah, nah, I'm just joking. I love that make-up wearing hag all too much (Bou-san too). Anyway, read and review!

…What? You say you don't know how?

Well there's the green button right _there_! (I think? O.o)

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	13. Chapter 13

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 13**_

_**-**_

Rubbing at her eyes wildly, Mai pushed away a low-hanging branch that was in her way as she wandered farther into the abyss of foliage. Amazing that there'd be any part of the city that hadn't been flattened by cement. Nagoya was an extremely urban area. She was surprised the art studio could even survive in that sort of environment.

She straightened herself, her back beginning to ache from bending over to look under bushes. This wasn't like a game of hide-and-seek anymore. No, the burning of guilt and worry which formed in the pit of her stomach told her otherwise. Something was seriously wrong, and Ayako was probably lost or hurt. Mai thought as hard as her brain would allow, her fingernails digging into the palm of her hand to make red crescents.

It was all her fault.

'Where on earth could she be?'

The crumpling of leaves sounded from behind her and Mai swung around with a smile tugging at her lips, hoping to see her red-headed friend with a grin, apologizing vigorously for wandering off. And Mai would scold her with a grin, slapping her lightly on the arm…

But instead of Ayako she found the ever impassive Naru.

Mai's hope slowly dissolved, and it showed upon her face leaving a disappointed frown. He shoulders slumped and she returned to looking through the bushes, ignoring her boss. She knew he had been right before when he was yelling at her, but that didn't stop Mai from wanting to punch him in the nose out of frustration.

Naru sighed, grabbing her shoulder once he realized that she would not turn around to face him. Mai momentarily paused, looking back with a glare.

"I apologize for what I said," his voice was surprisingly soft. 'Even though I was right,' he added in his head, with a sigh.

Mai seemed almost troubled at his tone. She stood, keeping her eyes glued to the ground in embarrassment. She knew she was acting immature, but they had looked everywhere for Ayako and she still hadn't turned up. What else could she do besides throw a little temper-tantrum?

"Don't apologize. All of this is my fault anyway. I never should have left her alone…"

"It's not your fault Mai. If it hadn't left Matsuzaki-san, _you_ would've been targeted," he said with boredom in his voice. He leaned up against the tree, watching as she shuffled leaves with her shoes.

She looked up with fresh tears in her brown eyes. "Well I'd rather me than Ayako any day!"

Naru was taken aback by her outburst wanting somehow to comfort her, but he couldn't bring himself to move, let alone embrace her. The salty tears that streaked her face made him hesitate unknowingly and the words he had rehearsed in his mind as a means of calming his brunette assistant had all been forgotten at the sight of them.

"Saying that will only make you feel worse," he reasoned, finally prying himself from the tree. He made his way over to her, laying a big hand upon her shoulder.

Her hiccups slowed to a gradual stop and she hugged him like there was no tomorrow, burying her face into his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair in an almost caring manner, breathing in the soft smell of her strawberry shampoo mixed with the scent of dry blood that still faintly tainted her.

Realizing his situation, Naru straightened himself. "Don't expect this to be a reoccurring thing, Mai," he then said his tone as cold as ice, pushing her away slightly.

His assistant frowned as her nonchalant boss ruined the moment of bliss, "Don't get too full of yourself, stupid narcissist! Who asked you to come comfort me? Who asked you to hold me? And that kiss last night? I never asked you to do that eith–!"

Before Mai knew it, she was tumbling backwards into an accumulation of bushes and shrubbery she had not noticed, Naru coming down hard on top of her. The air from her lungs was suddenly absent, and the girl had trouble regaining it, but she still managed to moan in complaint.

Mai could not escape from being trapped beneath her boss. She pushed gently against his chest making sounds of protest and frustration underneath him, but he was not looking at her, nor was he even aware of their proximity. His attention, however, was drawn to their tangled legs and what they had tripped over. A root perhaps? Mai couldn't see over Naru's head enough to tell, but the expression on his face told her otherwise.

"Naru," she managed to say softly, still recovering from the wind that had been 'knocked' out of her. "Are you alright? What is it?" Mai scolded herself for making the questions flowing from her mouth sound like that of a nervous mother, but it's not like she could help it.

The man on top of her slowly turned around, inspecting his younger assistant's face. "I think I found her."

-

The red-headed miko was caked in mud and dried blood with cuts randomly nicking the pale skin of her arms. She was unconscious and badly bruised, but the doctor had informed them that there were no fatalities. She would be very soar and would not be able to work the rest of the case, however.

No one dared to touch her besides Bou-san, who was holding her hand and had been since she entered the room (carried by Lin). Ever since then he had been so distraught, so caught up in his thoughts. The look of exhaustion plagued his tired eyes, giving them dark bags underneath.

With a teary frown on her face, Mai turned to her boss, grabbing his sleeve as if to ask for help. Her eyes were filled with emotions, some obvious, but some hard to place. She looked so fragile under the pale light of day, like a thin sheet of glass.

"Why would he go after _Ayako_?" she asked him angrily, her teeth almost chattering in fury.

After inspecting her strange expression, Naru turned to look at the cataleptic woman upon the couch with a sigh. "To get to you, of course. It's a good thing he got her instead, though. He must not have been able to find a good moment to take you. And he knows we're going to exorcise him tonight, which is probably why he took her in such a hurry instead of waiting for the right moment to get you alone."

Her eyes widening, Mai opened her mouth to protest only to have Naru stop her. "But I don't see–"

"He's not aiming to kill Matsuzaki-san or anyone else for that matter. He's aiming to kill _you_. He'll only _hurt_ others to get to you because he was a serial killer and serial killers are as consistent as possible, believe me."

John spoke up quietly, his hand raised up in the air almost as if he were still in school. "What are going to do if Bou-san is unable to drive out his spirit without Matsuzaki-san's help? No offense…"

"None taken," Bou-san replied silently. His voice seemed a void of emotion.

"I have taken this into account, Brown-san. If anything is to happen, and Bou-san is unable to deliver than I will step in."

And, of course, Naru steps in to save the day like always. Mai turned to Lin, almost flinching at the angry scowl that crossed his face. The stood up with intimidating height looming over his boss and grabbed his arm in a manner that they had never expected to come from the Chinese man. Masako gasped silently in the background, covering her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono.

"Naru, the professor will–"

Naru scowled, slapping away the onmyoji's hand. "Does it really matter what he says at a time like this? My team is in trouble, and I will do everything I can for them," he said in a low, intimidating tone. Mai was scared, although touched at her boss's words. She had never heard him say anything so sweet.

John's eyes crinkled, indicating a smile. Bou-san gripped Ayako's pale hand tightly and nodded. Mai bit her lip, intertwining her hand in his. She looked down, whispering his name gently.

Naru shivered involuntarily, but pushed her concerned voice from his mind. To give her reassurance, he gave her hand a little squeeze before tugging away and plopping down into the revolving chair behind him. He avoided her worried gaze, rubbing his temples.

The rest of the team went on with their business. John and Masako talked in hushed tones and Bou-san, who was still at the foot of the couch, could not help but stare off into space, wishing they had never taken the case that had endangered his little sister plus Ayako's lives. Lin, of course, after being yelled at by Naru began sulking over in his secluded corner, typing a bit harder on his keyboard than what was normal.

"Mai…" Naru started, cringing at the sound of his own voice. Everything was suddenly so loud and the buzzing in his ears was beginning to irritate him to the point where he wanted to yell out in frustration.

Naru looked up at his brunette assistant, not being able to form the correct insult for her in his mouth as his mind seemed to swell within the encasement of his skull. He made an angry sounding grunt, surly grabbing the attention of the two huddled, talking quietly in the corner. They looked up with interest as Naru could not get her attention.

The girl did not move. She was in the realms of another world, her mind wandering for any other possible solutions to solve the case. Furrowing his brow Naru turned in his chair, calling her name louder than before.

"Mai!"

Her eyes came into focus and she looked down at him, an expression of shock plastered to her face. Frowning at him, she cocked her head in question. "What is it?"

"Stop being such a space-case and get me some tea. Earl Grey, if there's any left," he said, his voice a bit hoarse. He should stop yelling like that. It wasn't like him and his throat was just not used to it.

Mai nodded, not even bothering to argue with him, which was definitely a shocker. Naru had expected her to call him names or at least give him one of the fierce glares she often did whenever he demanded tea without saying please (which was technically every time he asked…).

Naru's heart leapt into his throat as she opened the door. He quickly grabbed her by the arm seeing as how she was about to leave the room without someone to protect her. Just one footstep out of the door and from all of their supervision and that might be the end of Mai. Naru would make sure to keep her under _strict_ watch.

The brunette turned in surprise, her arm twisting painfully.

"Do not leave this room without someone with you. Do you understand?" It seemed to come out more forceful than he had wanted it to, but Mai seemed to understand. John raised his hand happily.

"I'll go with Taniyama-san!" he volunteered.

Masako rose from her seat as well. "I'll go too."

After Naru sighed and let go of her wrist, Mai rubbed it tenderly, giving him an odd look. Only then had he realized how hard he was holding her. Frowning, he watched with feign nonchalance as they left the room.

"Protective, aren't you?"

Naru glared over at Bou-san, who smirked dully. He stood, looking smaller than usual, his eyes focusing on his boss's foul expression as Ayako's slender fingers slipped from his. "Mai is a teen. She's obstinate. If you smother her too much…"

The monk smiled knowingly. Lin looked up from his work, an eyebrow raised. He glanced at Naru critically.

"Please take care of her, Naru. Don't do anything too rash. You know her…!"

Naru turned back around in his chair, blatantly ignoring the man behind him. "I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about. Mai is her own person and in no way have I ever smothered her. Save your lectures for someone else."

"Naru…!" The monk swirled Naru's chair around, his fingers curled around the younger man's shirt pulling him closer. Naru's face remained impassive. The doors suddenly opened and Mai entered the room holding a tray. The tea cups balanced carefully on top of it clattered with every movement she made. Masako and John appeared behind her.

Bou-san tensed, letting go of his boss's now crimpled shirt.

Mai's shoulders slumped, her eyebrows furrowing. "What's going on? Bou-san…Naru?"

"Nothing," the monk murmured, ruffling her hair with one of his big hands. "You need to be careful from now on, okay? Naru, Lin, John, and I won't always be there to protect you and spoil you…"

Mai shook her head laying the tray onto the desk next to where Naru sat. "Of course I know that…I know that." She lowered her head, frowning.

Bou-san smiled sadly, looking back at Ayako.

"I don't know what it is, but I have this sinking feeling that maybe you…might be next, Mai."

-

Oh my gosh! I'm so happy I finally finished this god-forsaken chapter. I hope you guys can live with this for a while because, since I have so much on my plate, I won't be able to write as often.

Thank you for reading! Please review.


	14. Chapter 14

Hanging Haunted: Chapter 14

-

Mai's heart skipped a beat at the monk's words. Why on earth was she so nervous _now_? She had known since nearly the beginning of the case that she was being targeted, but only now did she feel an intense pang of anxiety. Those words of his sunk in, like a sponge absorbing water.

Black stars distorted her field of vision and the next thing Mai knew was the hard impact of the ground upon her face.

When she woke up the first thing she did was grope around to try and identify whatever she was lying on; it must have been the leather couch in the base. They must've moved Ayako into another room to make way for her. Mai suddenly felt bad for being such a burden.

The swift clicking of keys was the only sound, other than her own breathing, that Mai could distinguish present in the room. Opening her eyes slowly, Mai noticed a dark figure sitting in a chair in front of the couch she was currently laying on.

Naru.

His neck was craned, in what looked the slightest bit uncomfortable, towards the book in his lap. Once he sensed her gaze on him, he looked up, a frowning blatantly.

"So you're finally awake, are you?" he inquired, a smile of feign happiness spreading across his beautiful face. He must be very angry to force himself to smile like that, Mai told herself, unconsciously sinking back into the crease of the couch.

The small book in his hands then closed with a snap, causing Mai to flinch in alarm. She opened her mouth to murmur an apology, but he beat her to it.

"How many times have I told you to take care of yourself? There's a reason why Bou-san and Matsuzaki-san taught you those chants and I expect to actually use them from now on–"

Mai had never seen her boss like this; frantic, worried, angry, disheveled beyond belief. And had he been waiting all this time just to lecture her? Wide-eyed, her mouth hung open in astonishment. She hadn't even known what had occurred since it had, after all, happened place so fast.

"How did I…What happened anyway?"

The note of confusion in her voice just seemed to anger him even more. His face became tight and severe as he leaned back into his chair. The rays of twilight hit his face, and only then had she noticed how pale he seemed.

"'_What happened?'_" he quoted with a hint of sarcasm in his deep voice, "You were attacked. Don't you remember?"

"I was attacked by _him_?" she asked incredulously, supporting herself on her elbows in an attempt to sit up.

"Yes," Naru said gravely, gaining his composure, "In broad daylight, no less. He's definitely serious about wanting you…"

"Geez, I can't believe the only guys I can attract are in the forms of ghosts." Naru looked up to gaze at her curiously, as if not hearing what she had said. Mai blushed and swiftly changed the topic, "Where's Ayako…?"

Naru sighed, an expression that confused Mai overcoming him. "She's resting in the next room over. She finally woke up, but is unable to move. The others are caring for her at the moment partly because I wanted to be alone with you," he said truthfully, but didn't realize how intimate he had actually sounded.

Mai flushed bright red. They weren't alone of course, Mai noticed as she looked over towards Lin. Before she could ask him why, her boss was already on his feet heading to the door.

"I'm going to get you some medicine."

And with that he had gone from the room and out of their sight. Mai sat up and turned to Lin who was gazing back at her expectantly. "He was worried," the Chinese man started slowly with what seemed to be a hint of warning on his voice.

"I'm sorry for always burdening you…" she began, but trailed off, her eyes landing on the messily drawn sutras pasted all over the walls. Bou-san must've been really worried.

"Naru made extra precautions," Lin said very abruptly, following her gaze.

"Naru…?" she said, shocked. "But why so many? It wasn't that bad just to be knocked out…"

"No, but–"

Lin paused as Naru threw open the door, a bottle of water in one hand and two orange-looking tablets in the other. After skillfully closing the door with his foot, he headed over towards her and sat down, handing her the pills first.

"When you were unconscious," he said, picking up where Lin had left off, "there was a series of earthquakes, power outages, wailing...but only in this house. Nagoya has not been affected."

"What about Tetsuya and–?"

"They're staying at a hotel room."

"Are we still doing the exorcism tonight?"

"Yes. You will have to stay down here. I don't want you to leave the protection of this room until I'm positive that we have exorcised the spirit. Is that understood?"

Unable to fight him, Mai gave a weak nod. "I understand, but what if I–"

"We're starting the exorcism at 8 o'clock sharp. Its 7:25 right now, so whatever you need to do, do it right now. At least take Lin with you, though."

Lin made a face of disdain, so Mai decided to be nice and spare him, "But," she started, "what if I have to do _girl _stuff…"

A slight blush played across her boss's cheeks. It might have been the first time she had ever seen him so flustered.

"Take Masako, then," he said turning away swiftly to hide his reddened cheeks. The tall Chinese man in the corner sent Mai a grateful smile, turning back to continue his work.

"Who's going to walk me over there, though?" she inquired innocently.

Afraid that there were still signs of embarrassment on his face, Naru ordered Lin to go.

-

That night was one of the quietest Nagoya had ever seen in a long time. As if the usual, bustling city was waiting in anticipation. The streets suddenly sounded so quiet, the rush from the cars slowing as traffic picked up. It was late and the sun was beginning to set, letting its bright rays glare through the windows of the Fujisaki residence.

A nervous sweat began to form on Mai's palms even as she continuously rubbed them on her pants. There was this pit of uncertainty swelling deep inside of her stomach that churned with the sight of Naru's black pants on the monitor screen.

Why was he up there without her? Why was she always such a burden? Why was she always causing him trouble? Why was she never with him?

He seemed so close yet so far away to Mai, like she would never be able to reach him.

A soft sigh left her and a feeling of emptiness took place of it. She wanted to go up there and help, but she was being heavily guarded, as Naru had ordered.

Sensing her discomfort, Ayako, who was still unable to move and resting on the couch, grabbed Mai's hand in her own and squeezed as if to reassure her. Mai looked up, slightly surprised.

"We're all going to be okay. Naru, John, and even that god-forsaken idiot of a monk will all make sure everything turns out okay. Have faith in them," Ayako said, firmly.

Mai shook her head, uncertain, as tears stung the corners of her eyes. "But what if–"

"You know _he's_ doing this for you…"

"No," the smaller girl denied, "It's his job. You know he always finishes cases no matter what. It's not…It's not at all because of me."

"You don't even know the half of it. That guy would do anything for you," Madoka came out of nowhere, a happy-go-lucky smile plastered to her face.

Mai blushed, but then realized what they were saying made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Suddenly she wasn't so sure they were talking about the same 'guy' anymore. She looked around to see if Masako or Lin had heard their embarrassing conversation.

Fortunately, Lin was watching the monitor and speaking with Naru on a two-way radio making sure everything was secure and set up. Masako, however, was looking straight at them, giving Mai an unexpected smirk.

"Matsuzaki-san and Mori-san are right, you know."

Mai gapped.

"Of course, I always am!" Ayako exclaimed, throwing her arms up. Madoka smiled wider now, having attained Masako's approval.

Mai mumbled to herself, "I'm not sure we're on quite the same page–"

"They're starting," she was interrupted by the deep monotone of Lin's voice.

Sighing in relief as he changed the subject for her, Mai grabbed a chair a positioned herself in front of the monitor watching with fascination as Bou-san and John began their own respective chants and prayers at the same time. Mai figured doing so individually wouldn't be quite as powerful.

'Please be safe…'

-

There _it_ was – that god-forsaken portrait. It had caused all of their pain, not only to him and Mai, but other team members as well. Naru unconsciously gazed at the back of Bou-san's head.

And he had promised Madoka to talk with Mai after the case was over about…their incidents. Putting more blame of the picture, Naru sighed in frustration slightly unwilling to think about how it might turn out.

"Naru," John started hesitantly, seeing his boss so immersed in his own thoughts. "Should we…?" he inquired seeing as how the man then lifted his head in recognition.

"Yes, please begin," Naru said, nodding at the two men in front of him. And so they did, their gazes directed towards the rather large painting propped against an old, moth-eaten couch.

The air became tense as they began to chant, the insignificant shine of Naru's flashlight flickering on and off, but nevertheless, he urged them on. "Don't stop!" he said loudly over the creaking of the old floorboards.

The walls began to rattle and shake causing them to pause momentarily, but with one stern look from Naru they were back on track, chanting as if they had never stopped.

Finally, as the two were finishing up, a board cracked beneath them and John's foot fell through. He yelled in pain.

Mai and Masako gasped as they watched on the small monitor of Lin's computer, Masako standing with a faint bit of horror present in her eyes.

"John, he…!"

But before Masako could finish, the screen went black, and the next thing the five of them know was the hard impact of the floor. The ground was shaking so hard that Lin's computer had been thrown onto the floor along with them.

"This is not good," Madoka shouted over the clatter. What the hell was Naru thinking, she wondered. Looking at the pile of what used to be Lin's laptop, she frowned. "We have to get out of here. This place is falling apart."

Ayako broke out into desperation, gabbing onto Mai's arm in fear. "What about the guys? They're still in the attic!"

"Mai!"

The door suddenly was slammed open by none other than Naru and behind him was a limping priest with Bou-san as a crutch.

Poor John had even lost a shoe while trying to pull his foot out of the broken floorboard. A small bit of blood trailed behind him and they soon identified it from his ankle which would surely be swollen for the next week or so.

"Naru, we have to get out of here," Mai said shakily, grabbing onto him.

"I know," he said, his tone the severest Mai had ever heard him. "Okay, women out first."

"But Ayako can't…!"

"Madoka, get John, I'll take care of Ayako!" Suddenly Bou-san had reached underneath the miko, picking her up effortlessly and walked out of the room first, Ayako's face flushing as red as her hair as he did so.

Madoka, smiled a little nervously at the priest that soon hung on her shoulder like a limp noodle and helped him out of the room. He apologized before they made their way behind Bou-san and Ayako.

Mai turned, "But Naru–"

A tremor shook the floor beneath them, knocking Mai off of her feet once more. Naru quickly caught her, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

"If you dare argue with me, I swear to God, Mai, I will cut your pay _in half_," he said, recovering. And with that, Mai was soon scrambling behind her fellow team mates.

Naru turned to Lin motioning for him to go, but Lin paused. "What about the painting?"

"It'll be destroyed in the quake. We'll burn the remains afterwards and purify the area. All of our things are in the van, so it's okay." Naru said, walking quickly behind the taller man as they made their way towards the exit.

Lin glared back at him. "Except my laptop," he mumbled incoherently. Naru seemed to smirk quickly before a look of panic arose on his face.

"_LIN!"_

-

I'm so sorry for not updating in, like, a year! I've just been really busy with school…Oh, I got two scholarships, if that makes anyone feel better?

Anyway, I've already started on the next chapter, which will hopefully be the last, so don't worry about me taking a year to update again.

I'm so happy everyone reviews for my story! I'll be sure to post again soon!


	15. Chapter 15

_**Hanging Haunted: Chapter 15**_

Naru opened his eyes and gasped, air suddenly filling his lungs as if he had been holding his breath for a while. He sat up, but quickly regretted doing so. His vision blurred and the world around him spun, dizzying him. He fell back onto the uncomfortable hospital bed, wincing in pain.

He began taking deep breaths and the sensation of nausea in his throat faded. He finally got a good look at his surroundings, realizing for the first time that he was in a hospital, although he wasn't shocked as it had happened so often. He had gotten used to hospitals, sadly.

The walls were white and serene, peaceful but strangely unnerving at the same time. The white sheets had never been used and were stiff against Naru's bare back. Rays from the setting sun shone through the window at his side, its drapes drawn back thoughtfully.

But what caught his attention the most was the petite brunette at the side of his bed. She was asleep in, what looked to Naru like, a very uncomfortable position. A book she had been reading was propped in her small, limp hands, on the verge of falling to the ground.

Naru would've woken her up, but she seemed so exhausted, and he just didn't have the heart to. There were dark circles under her eyes much to his displeasure and she looked just a tad bit skinnier than the last time he had seen her. How long had he been in the hospital, he questioned.

Learning from his previous experience, Naru slowly pulled himself into a sitting position against the head board of the bed. He cringed at a sharp sting that erupted throughout his lower back.

"Dammit," he murmured. It felt as if he had been hit by a truck ten times over! What the hell had happened to him?

That's right, he thought, remembering what had happened as the house was tumbling down around them. A support beam had nearly fallen on Lin, but he had pushed him out of the way. He laughed at the memory, rubbing his tired eyes. What an idiotic thing to do, he mentally face-palmed himself.

But he was glad he had done it. Lin was his precious friend and he wasn't about to let him kill himself. He wondered how the family was doing. He wondered if it had been on the news yet. He wondered if Mai had cried, which he knew she most likely had…

Mai sighed, her eyes opening slowly. She yawned loudly, disregarding the novel that had been forgotten in her hands, cursing as it fell to the tiled floor and lost her place. Naru chuckled at his scattered-brained assistant.

Mai gasped as his melodic tenor reached her ears, her hands stopping on their way to retrieve her book. She looked up slowly, now noticing her boss was awake. He had even sat up by himself. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She whispered his name as if it were a question she was uncertain the answer of.

"Naru?"

He smiled that of an angel at her voice, causing a sob to escape from Mai's throat. "Is this a dream?" she inquired sadly, standing up.

Naru shook his head, taking her hand in his and pulling her down to sit on the bed next to him. A steady flow of tears streamed down each cheek, which Naru promptly wiped away with the palm of his hand.

"Why are you crying? I'm fine now, aren't I?"

Mai held his hand against her face so that he would not release her. "They said," she started, a fresh batch of hiccups escaping her lips as she spoke, "They said you wouldn't wake up. But I waited. It's been a week since then. It's a miracle."

Naru laughed, his other hand running through her messy hair. "There are no such things as miracles, Mai," he said. But Mai didn't seem to be listening. He sighed, letting her have this moment to cherish.

"What happened to the family?"

"They were grateful. The rented a new apartment somewhere far…far away. They told us to give you best regards when you woke up. They came to visit you a while ago," Mai said slowly, as if she were just taking it in for the first time herself.

"Naru?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Don't you ever dare do that again. I mean it. Next time, I'll punch you in the face so hard that your nose starts bleeding," she said sternly, her face as strait as it had been a long time. Although Naru couldn't seem to take her quite so seriously with her nose running like that.

"Okay, okay," he said with a laugh, his mood significantly lighter. He grabbed a tissue from a table at his side and brought it up to her face. "Blow," he commanded.

After riding herself of snot, she sighed, rubbing her teary eyes. "I was supposed to tell you something if you woke up, I think?" she said, her brows furrowing in a look of wonder.

Naru raised and eyebrow.

"Oliver!" A mature English woman's voice rang throughout the barren hospital room, shocking the two teenagers. Mai gasped and turned around in surprise, holding her chest to calm her heart. She released a breath she had not realized she was holding and smiled.

"Oh, yeah," she said, finally remembering, "Your parents are here!"

Naru twitched.

…

Luella Davis was in tears as Mai had been just moment before. She sobbed into her husband Martin's shoulder. Lin was behind them (hell, the whole team was probably behind them), clearly relieved to see Naru awake.

"_Noll…_" his mother cried out, but couldn't bring herself to go over and embrace her child. She was too stunned, they figured. Mai smiled at the woman and looked to Naru.

"Don't be like that," she whispered pityingly, caressing his face and earning a look that said 'Why didn't you tell me earlier so I could hide from these god-awful people?' She laughed slightly, ignoring his displeasure at his adoptive parents' arrival.

His mother moaned his name again, but this time she actually went to him with Martin as her crutch. As they advanced further, the rest of the team managed to fit in the cramped hospital room as well, all looking as relieved and as equally un-showered as Mai, who respectfully moved from the bed to give the two parents more room. This Naru resented very much, hoping she would've stayed and shielded him.

"_Mother_," he said in English. Said woman leaned down to kiss his forehead gently.

"_Don't be so formal, dear_," Luella replied.

Naru ignored her comment, only causing them more distress.

"_Oliver_," Martin finally said, using his full name as if to show how serious he was being, "_Come back to England with us. Japan is too much for you to handle…_"

The only one's who understood their perfect English were Lin, John, and Masako. The priest frowned, looking down at the ground. Masako looked a little stunned. Her English wasn't perfect, but she got the gist of what they were saying. And Lin remained impassive, his face showing no emotion.

Mai could only guess what her boss's father had said, and her heart leapt in fear at the concept of losing the man she loved. But if Naru truly wanted to go home, it's not like she could stop him from doing so.

But Naru simply smiled at his parents in reply, shaking his head. "There is something in this country," he said, this time in Japanese, looking over at Mai and the rest of his team, "that I want to protect."

Mai inhaled deeply, blush spreading across her cheeks as Naru's beautiful eyes passed over her.

"_I don't think I'll be going back to England for a while, Father, Mother_," he said with his smile still in tact. It was the first time Luella and Martin Davis had seen their youngest son truly smile ever since his older brother's death. And they knew he had to stay.

"_Yes_," Luella said slowly, looking back at Mai as well. She smiled, turning back towards her son. "_We'll keep in touch, Noll. Your father and I love you._"

Naru nodded, saying in his perfect English once again, "_I love you, too_." And he leaned in to kiss his mom's cheek and hug his father.

"Well, we have a plane to catch," Luella said in choppy Japanese and stood up straight, heading out of the door with Martin following close behind her. She smiled over towards Mai and laid a hand on the younger woman's shoulder, "We'll see you soon, then."

Mai blushed, nodding to Martin in reply as they passed to exit the room. She sighed when they were finally gone, he eyes travelling over towards her boss.

He smiled and mouthed something at her in response. "I love you."

...

So that's the end. Kind of anti-climatic and crappy, but I thought it would fit. And I know it's short! PLEASE, don't hate me. :( Oh yeah, sorry for the cheesiness (while I'm at it).

By the way, for those who are uneducated, a protagonist is is the main character (the central or primary personal figure) of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve. _Not_ a supporter. Look it up, kid. And, no, that sentence in chapter 3 that you so kindly pointed out **Peyton**, was not incorrect and it did make sense. Sorry to disappoint you. I'm not stupid, folks. (Sorry, when people act ignorant I have to rant about them. I know, I'm very defensive and self conscious.)

Anyway, my computer crashed for a month (I lost the original of this chapter) and then I went to Florida for a week and then I sold art at a convention, so I was sort of busy for the past summer. I thought you awesome fans deserved an epic update, though.

Thank you for reading this incredibly OOC story that will fall into the pits of hell. Read and Review! :B


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